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
Picking up almost two years after its predecessor, the ten-episode fourth season starts out in spring of 2024, just a few months before a fateful U.S. Presidential election that would change the course of history.
—
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 July 2025
In those crucial moments, Aiden made a fateful decision, his father said.
—ABC News, 8 July 2025
Charles Dickens’ classic tale of the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, who finds his heart changing one fateful Christmas Eve, combines with dazzling set, costume and lighting designs to create a magical experience for your family!
—The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The owners of Ferrari’s Italian Villa and Chop House in Grapevine have been inseparable since that fateful moment.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 July 2025
In those crucial moments, Aiden made a fateful decision, his father said.
—ABC News, 8 July 2025
Charles Dickens’ classic tale of the curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, who finds his heart changing one fateful Christmas Eve, combines with dazzling set, costume and lighting designs to create a magical experience for your family!
—The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The owners of Ferrari’s Italian Villa and Chop House in Grapevine have been inseparable since that fateful moment.
—Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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And yes, it must also be said that domestic and feral cats have been disastrous to the world's biodiversity, having contributed to the extinction of 40 bird and 21 mammal species – 26% of the extinctions in these groups – since the 1600s.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 July 2025
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Hunt was the site of particularly disastrous flooding early in the morning on July 4, with officials saying the river swelled more than 20 feet in less than an hour and ultimately killed at least 103 people countywide, including dozens of children at a riverside summer camp called Camp Mystic.—
July 13,
CBS News,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Priya allegedly injected her business partner with a fatal overdose of sedatives, Joseph said.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
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In the aftermath of Hinton's arrest, members of his family distanced themselves from his actions and instead hired an attorney to conduct a review of the fatal police shooting of his son, Ryan Hinton.—
David Ferrara,
The Enquirer,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
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Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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