1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
I made the fatal mistake of sharing my secret with the office's biggest blabbermouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
that snake's venom is fatal unless the victim is given the antidote almost immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fatal
There were 47 unprovoked shark bites -- including four fatal incidents -- reported globally in 2024, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File.
—
Jason Volack, ABC News, 28 May 2025
Arya’s dad, Jeremy Lebeau, said his daughter had stayed at the friend’s house previously and only heard the children were home alone after the fatal incident, according to WCVB.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 28 May 2025
Gilbert Berry, 43, of Oakland, is charged with murder and possession of an assault weapon in the fatal shooting on May 22 of Jacoby Diego Morales, who had addresses in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
The fatal crash happened near Katy, a Houston suburb, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told KPRC.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Jason Volack, ABC News, 28 May 2025
Arya’s dad, Jeremy Lebeau, said his daughter had stayed at the friend’s house previously and only heard the children were home alone after the fatal incident, according to WCVB.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 28 May 2025
Gilbert Berry, 43, of Oakland, is charged with murder and possession of an assault weapon in the fatal shooting on May 22 of Jacoby Diego Morales, who had addresses in Las Vegas and San Francisco.
—Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
The fatal crash happened near Katy, a Houston suburb, at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office told KPRC.
—Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
-
The Giants didn’t have a disastrous road trip, winning two of their three series, but taking just two out of three against rebuilding teams won’t be enough to catch the Dodgers, and getting swept by contending teams will leave them outside of the wild-card chase.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
-
Following a disastrous accident, Cadence's life changes forever, disrupting the harmony builtbetween her, her family, and her inner circle.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 June 2025
Adjective
-
Stephen Stanko’s attorneys told him that lethal injection would feel like drowning when a lethal dose of pentobarbital is injected into the inmate’s veins and there’s a rush of fluid into the lungs.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2025
-
However, in the days to come, zoo officials faced mounting criticism for not trying to tranquilize the 17-year-old Western lowland silverback before using lethal force.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
The only new name in 2025 is Dexter, which replaced Dorian, a deadly and destructive Category 5 hurricane that wreaked havoc in the Bahamas in 2019.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 May 2025
-
Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
-
This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share