1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
I made the fatal mistake of sharing my secret with the office's biggest blabbermouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
that snake's venom is fatal unless the victim is given the antidote almost immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fatal
The fight While punishments for people who've caused fatal crashes while high have varied wildly from state to state, Resecker's sentence stands out for being unusually tough, especially given his young age, according to a USA TODAY review of similar cases.
—
Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
And non-fatal shootings decreased by 21%.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Hartford on Monday night after a man was found unresponsive in the street following a shots fired report.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
During the altercation, police say one fatal shot was fired into the victim's stomach.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
And non-fatal shootings decreased by 21%.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Police are investigating a fatal shooting in Hartford on Monday night after a man was found unresponsive in the street following a shots fired report.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
During the altercation, police say one fatal shot was fired into the victim's stomach.
—Eric MacK, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
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And as someone who has done this a long time, Musselman understands that the responsibility for the team’s disastrous stretch run ultimately falls squarely on his shoulders.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Noem’s dissmissal comes after she was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Boyd could not characterize the size of the knife or say whether officers had attempted less-lethal options before opening fire, though they are trained to do so depending on the incident.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Lambda-cyhalothrin, which starves insects and is lethal to honeybees, was found on cherries, nectarines, peaches, plums, lettuce and broccoli.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Western North Carolina was slammed in 2024 with catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene, and Edwards has been grilled by both Democrats and Republicans for slow delivery of recovery funds.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
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In addition to unleashing intense winds, Melissa produced catastrophic flooding, destructive storm surge and widespread economic devastation.—
Jacqueline Charles,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Dan Morrison Eleven different countries have asked Ukraine for help in countering Iran's deadly Shahed drones, with request for interceptors, electronic warfare systems and training, Ukrainian Presiden Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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Yet Aster diagnoses them, and everyone else, with a deadly case of social media brain rot.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Celta’s experienced striker Borja Iglesias equalized for the home side with his third goal in four games after 25 minutes, and strike partner Iago Aspas was unfortunate to see his shot come back off the post with two minutes remaining as both sides pushed for a winner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
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This time round, though, an unfortunate silliness sometimes creeps in, where the film risks tipping over Shakespearean-size emotions into embarrassing bathos.—
Miriam Balanescu,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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