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 Stones took the stage as tensions rose between fans and drunken Hells Angels, leading to a fateful skirmish that marked the end of an era.
—
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Years later, in 1988, the pair had another fateful meeting when Kennedy’s aunt, Lee Radziwill, married director Herbert Ross.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Before her fateful downhill run Sunday — one that ended with a violent crash after 13 seconds — Lindsey Vonn pulled on a pair of out-of-production gloves from her childhood skiing idol, Picabo Street.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league — although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Years later, in 1988, the pair had another fateful meeting when Kennedy’s aunt, Lee Radziwill, married director Herbert Ross.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Before her fateful downhill run Sunday — one that ended with a violent crash after 13 seconds — Lindsey Vonn pulled on a pair of out-of-production gloves from her childhood skiing idol, Picabo Street.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league — although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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That was what Ilia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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With the women’s slalom coming Wednesday, the results have been mostly disappointing for Shiffrin, who was looking to bounce back from a disastrous performance at the Beijing Olympics four years ago.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That comment came during after-school fodder just days following the fatal shooting of Renee Good.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Two days after a fatal shooting inside a Kansas City nightclub, prosecutors have charged a Kansas City, Kansas, man with two counts of second-degree murder.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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With so much experience playing Head, Claassen is easily able to improvise in the moment answering random questions, cracking jokes and exchanging repartee with audience members, like the unfortunate man in row B who dared to show up at the theater on Friday in a casual sweatshirt.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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Ben Jaggers finds motivation from an unfortunate disqualification that stifled his bid for a medal last year.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Survivors of the catastrophic avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada that claimed at least eight lives were rescued after using an emergency feature available on some iPhones.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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General catastrophizing Some people are naturally prone to anxiety and overthinking everything—like a work typo, or a throwaway joke that now feels catastrophic.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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