fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: having a quality of ominous prophecy

a fateful remark

2

a

: involving momentous consequences : decisive

made his fateful decision to declare war

—W. L. Shirer

b

: deadly, catastrophic

3

: controlled by fate : foreordained

fatefully

ˈfāt-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun

Synonyms

• calamitous
• cataclysmal
• cataclysmic
• catastrophic
• damning
• destructive
• disastrous
• fatal
• ruinous
• unfortunate

Choose the Right Synonym for fateful

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Examples of fateful in a Sentence

His life changed on that fateful November evening.

Hundreds perished on that fateful day.

Her campaign took a fateful turn.

Recent Examples on the Web

This fateful encounter, along with what happened next, was all captured in raw footage that Serban-Lawler shared on Instagram. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025

In that fateful loss to the Hornets last month, Haliburton had a forgettable outing with nine points and eight assists. —Tony East, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

The aforementioned access was provided by Jim McKay’s son and former chairman of CBS Sports, Sean McManus, who was with his father in Munich on that fateful day in 1972. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025

This week’s must reads (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) A brother and sister made a fateful choice when fire approached. —Hunter Clauss, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: foretelling usually bad things to come

a fateful remark

2

: having serious results : important

a fateful decision

fatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun