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

Warren Upton's Story In 2020, Upton told The Associated Press (AP) about that fateful day at Pearl Harbor. —David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024

That brings us back to our group of high schoolers, who decided the game needed just as much saving from Disney as the cartoon world did from its Cogs during that fateful summer. —J. Clara Chan, WIRED, 24 Dec. 2024

Beyoncé, Rogen and Eichner reprise their voiceover roles from that fateful remake in Mufasa: The Lion King, in theaters now. —Jack Smart, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024

Less than a month before its fateful February 2022 all-out invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched joint air patrols with the Syrian Air Force along the Golan Heights frontier with Israel. —Paul Iddon, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

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