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
Medved confirmed the game’s officials did not review that fateful play.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
After a few fateful swipes, everyone’s lives begin to change.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
As ever, Depardon films this necessarily private, almost unbearably intimate social procedure with curiosity, a profound feeling for the gravity of these fateful conversations, and a palpable sensitivity to the suspects in legal limbo.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
In the days since Good’s fateful encounter with an armed ICE officer, there was no letup by law enforcement.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
After a few fateful swipes, everyone’s lives begin to change.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
As ever, Depardon films this necessarily private, almost unbearably intimate social procedure with curiosity, a profound feeling for the gravity of these fateful conversations, and a palpable sensitivity to the suspects in legal limbo.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
In the days since Good’s fateful encounter with an armed ICE officer, there was no letup by law enforcement.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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Secretary Noem paused the diversity lottery to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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The main issues on that offense were instability at offensive coordinator, as owner Woody Johnson forced him to fire Mike LaFleur after the 2022 season and replace him with the disastrous Nathaniel Hackett.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer earlier this month proved to Carlson and other Minnesotans that the potential for danger as an observer was not abstract.—
Michael Williams,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
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Noem has been under increasing scrutiny following Saturday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by federal authorities in Minneapolis.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Toni Preckwinkle has served the city of Chicago and Cook County ably throughout her long political career and done much to make life better for the unfortunate among us.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
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French Stewart played Harry Solomon, who was known for his odd posture, nervous energy, and the unfortunate fact that alien messages arrived through his head.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Brown’s primary worry is that the climate will continue to warm and the ice sheet in Greenland will continue to melt at its current rate, which could lead to a catastrophic rise in sea levels.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Jan. 2026
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Power outages still remain in the South following the catastrophic ice impacts of last weekend’s storm.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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