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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Researchers measured violent and property crime data from 2023, fatal car accidents, drug overdose deaths and excessive drinking rates.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
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Here’s what to know about the fatal crash.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Injuries are unfortunate, but shouldn’t be legally actionable outside of cases of true neglect.—
Carrie Lukas,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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No doubt my disdain for Labor Day has everything to do with its unfortunate spot on the calendar.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that famine has taken hold in Gaza, affecting more than half a million people—with catastrophic food insecurity already underway.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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To make a mistake with the first year’s winnings is not catastrophic if the winner is going to receive another 25 years’ worth of payments.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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