fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈta-lə-tē 

fə-

plural fatalities

1

a

: the quality or state of causing death or destruction

b

: the quality or condition of being destined for disaster

2

: something established by fate

3

a

: fate sense 1

b

: fatalism

4

: the agent or agency of fate

5

a

: death resulting from a disaster

b

: one that experiences a fatal outcome

Synonyms

• casualty
• loss
• prey
• victim

Examples of fatality in a Sentence

The car crash caused one fatality and several serious injuries.

the grim reminder that every holiday weekend inevitably results in a slew of highway fatalities

Recent Examples on the Web

Then in October 2024, Guatemala reported the reemergence of the fly and its larvae, with a calf as its first fatality. —Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024

From 2014 to 2023, the intersection of Riverside and Walnut avenues were the site of 32 collisions and one pedestrian fatality, Kevitt said, citing data from the Transportation Injury Mapping System. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Senna’s death would mark the last fatality in Formula 1 until Jules Bianchi suffered fatal injuries at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. —Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 3 Dec. 2024

The second most dangerous industry, with 1,053 fatalities and a fatal injury rate of 14.1 per 100,000 workers. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitat-, fatalitas, from Latin fatalis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing fatality

• case fatality rate
• case fatality ratio
• fatality rate

Kids Definition

fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē 

fə-

plural fatalities

: a death resulting from a disaster or accident

Medical Definition

fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē, fə- 

plural fatalities

1

: the quality or state of causing death or destruction : deadliness

the degree of fatality of a disease

2

a

: death resulting from a disaster

a car crash causing several fatalities

b

: one who suffers such a death

one of the fatalities was a small child