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 of fatality

• victim
• casualty

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

The Thai military acknowledged 15 of its troops died during the fighting, and estimated earlier last week that there have been 165 fatalities among Cambodian soldiers. —Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2025

While there have been isolated fatal shootings at several Ivy League colleges, including a gun death at Harvard University in 2009 and a 2021 killing of a Yale graduate student, there have been no active-shooter incidents with multiple fatalities. —Eryn Dion, USA Today, 14 Dec. 2025

The Thai military acknowledges 11 of its troops have been killed, while estimating there have been 165 fatalities among Cambodian soldiers. —CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

The three American fatalities in today’s attack in Syria are the first combat deaths in that country since 2019 when four Americans were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Manbij, Syria. —Benjamin Siu, ABC News, 13 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for fatality

• banality
• bestiality
• brutality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality
• lethality

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