Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fateful differ from other similar words?

The words ominous and portentous are common synonyms of fateful. While all three words mean "having a menacing or threatening aspect," fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Where would ominous be a reasonable alternative to fateful?

Although the words ominous and fateful have much in common, ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

When is it sensible to use portentous instead of fateful?

While the synonyms portentous and fateful are close in meaning, portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

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 fateful One fateful night, her performance was attended by jazz pianist Les McCann, who immediately brought Flack to the attention of Atlantic Records. Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 24 Feb. 2025 Of course Andress sees the irony in the title now, given the impression so many people were left with after that fateful day last July. Nancy Kruh, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025 His fateful, fourth-down drop late in the AFC Championship Game will symbolize the Bills’ latest failure to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and reach the Super Bowl. Tim Graham, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025 Health has been a major issue ever since that fateful championship Warriors season. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
  • If tax reform isn’t approached thoughtfully, the impact on those already facing significant challenges could be disastrous.
    Jack Salmon, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Apple had seemed to resolve this with its Private Cloud Compute, but then its disastrous Apple Intelligence delays made all that somewhat academic for the time being at least.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Black lung, a debilitating and often fatal condition caused by inhalation of coal and silica dust during mining, affects roughly 1 in 5 miners who have worked in the Central Appalachian mines for twenty-five years or more, according to NIOSH.
    Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • The day of the fatal fall, Goodwin said Bass had checked on Tidus and his brother minutes prior, and then had stepped outside with the dog.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The self-deportation of a University of Florida student reveals the new reality for many immigrants — any brush with the law can set off a chain of unfortunate events.
    Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2025
  • This ancestor of mine was born at a good time for ornate garments, but at an unfortunate time and place for tuberculosis.
    Denise Snodell, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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