as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a fateful encounter with a confidence man that they would long regret
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Recent Examples of fateful
The fateful decisions that doomed the Weimar Republic were made in the aftermath of World War I, shortly after the birth of a new democracy in Germany.
—
Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Here, in this exclusive excerpt, Prine discusses some of his earliest experiences in his future hometown of Nashville, including what would end up becoming a fateful meeting with the legendary producer Cowboy Jack Clement.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2025
Their hope is to empower others to do what Briggs did on that fateful day 20 years ago, when the two men first crossed paths on the Golden Gate Bridge.
—Johnny Dodd, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Daniel Ziblatt, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2025
Prior to and after the ruling, a small but noisy crowd spent those fateful hours chanting in support outside the PJ headquarters in San Telmo, a nearby Buenos Aires neighborhood, many of whom followed her back to Calle San José that frigid night.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Here, in this exclusive excerpt, Prine discusses some of his earliest experiences in his future hometown of Nashville, including what would end up becoming a fateful meeting with the legendary producer Cowboy Jack Clement.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2025
Their hope is to empower others to do what Briggs did on that fateful day 20 years ago, when the two men first crossed paths on the Golden Gate Bridge.
—Johnny Dodd, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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Schools’ failure to follow IEPs has resulted in disastrous cases of educational neglect for students like Makenley and Maddox O’Connor.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
8 Sep. 2025
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The New York Jets sent that message to Rodgers following a disastrous two-year term.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Video of the fatal attack showed Kirk speaking to a large crowd of people on the university campus as a shot rings out.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Though Kirk's visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Legislators should realize that a simple law meant to avert potential catastrophic risks seems like an existential risk to those who oppose it.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Fire is the most catastrophic event possible on a yacht, a plane, or a car.—
Rachel Ingram,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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