fatally

adverb

fa·​tal·​ly ˈfā-tᵊl-ē 

1

: in a way determined by fate

2

: in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as

a

: in a manner resulting in death : mortally

fatally wounded

b

: beyond repair : irrevocably

c

: in a manner resulting in ruin or evil

It is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinions.

—W. F. Hambly

d

: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted

… thinks she is fatally attractive …

—J. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident in Harrisburg occurred days before an ICE agent fatally shot a 52-year-old man during a car stop in Houston. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Kirk, a founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot last September during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. — Corey Schmidt july 17, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Four men were shot, one fatally, near a CTA train station in Washington Park on the city’s South Side Thursday night, authorities said. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Six days earlier, an ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican national during a stop in Houston, Texas. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fatally

• postnatally
• prenatally