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
That is the fateful question seemingly posed by this new Pixar installment, which picks up on the familiar parenting conundrum about screentime as Woody, Buzz and the gang encounter a new doohickey in the playroom – a tablet.
—
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Coldplay kiss cam The moment of the year unravelled on that fateful mid-July day at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
When folks have gone to great lengths to plan a party and arrange the decor, and then the weatherman delivers that fateful blow, Griffith has heard it all.
—Emily St. Martin, Oc Register, 30 Dec. 2025
In DaCosta’s vision, Tessa Thompson dives in as Hedda, a woman in 1950s London trapped within the constraints of society who, in one fateful night amid a swirl of scandal, trysts and jealousy at an opulent party, decides to take it all down.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Coldplay kiss cam The moment of the year unravelled on that fateful mid-July day at a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
—Will Barker, TheWeek, 30 Dec. 2025
When folks have gone to great lengths to plan a party and arrange the decor, and then the weatherman delivers that fateful blow, Griffith has heard it all.
—Emily St. Martin, Oc Register, 30 Dec. 2025
In DaCosta’s vision, Tessa Thompson dives in as Hedda, a woman in 1950s London trapped within the constraints of society who, in one fateful night amid a swirl of scandal, trysts and jealousy at an opulent party, decides to take it all down.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
-
The Chargers’ $262 million man fell to 0-3 in the playoffs, each of those defeats distinctly disastrous.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Purdy, rendered ineffective by a torn ligament in his right elbow on the opening drive against the Eagles in a disastrous NFC title game loss three seasons ago, completed all three passes for 74 yards and capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson.—
Dan Gelston,
Twin Cities,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Several hundred protesters gathered at First Ward Park on Thursday night in response to Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
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John Mulaney has postponed three upcoming shows in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.—
Amy McCarthy,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Their late concession of the winning penalty to Morgan Gibbs-White, above, was unfortunate.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Many unfortunate events were blamed on poison—the unexpected death of an enslaver or a slave, a spate of local deaths due to a virus or other disease, or problems on the plantation such as ill livestock or bad harvests.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The danger posed by such diseases was exemplified by COVID-19, which jumped from bats to humans to catastrophic effect.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
-
At that meeting, more than 190 nations agreed to the target to minimize the growing risks of catastrophic storms, droughts, wildfires, and species extinction.—
Harry Stevens,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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