1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
I made the fatal mistake of sharing my secret with the office's biggest blabbermouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
that snake's venom is fatal unless the victim is given the antidote almost immediately
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fatal
Ron Capps has credited the safety improvement introduced following John Force's Virginia crash in 2024 and Eric Medlen's fatal 2007 crash after being able to walk away from his fiery 230 mph crash in Arizona this weekend.
—
Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The ordeal ended with the fatal exchange of gunfire about 9:50 p.m., more than five hours after the first call to deputies.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2025
That is known as meconium aspiration syndrome – a potentially fatal condition that occurs in 5% to 10% of births but is treatable if diagnosed in time.
—Khwaga Ghani, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
The killing is Olathe’s second homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025
The ordeal ended with the fatal exchange of gunfire about 9:50 p.m., more than five hours after the first call to deputies.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2025
That is known as meconium aspiration syndrome – a potentially fatal condition that occurs in 5% to 10% of births but is treatable if diagnosed in time.
—Khwaga Ghani, NPR, 31 Mar. 2025
The killing is Olathe’s second homicide of the year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
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If tax reform isn’t approached thoughtfully, the impact on those already facing significant challenges could be disastrous.—
Jack Salmon,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2025
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Apple had seemed to resolve this with its Private Cloud Compute, but then its disastrous Apple Intelligence delays made all that somewhat academic for the time being at least.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But South Carolina lawmakers saw it as the quickest and most humane way to kill an inmate, especially with the uncertainty in obtaining lethal injection drugs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2025
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Neither are the most lethal shooting teams from deep, with Houston 13th and Memphis 15th in made 3s per game.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what led to the deadly incident.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2025
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Trump has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian campus protests against U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza, which has caused a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and followed a deadly October 2023 attack by Islamist group Hamas.—
Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The self-deportation of a University of Florida student reveals the new reality for many immigrants — any brush with the law can set off a chain of unfortunate events.—
Clara-Sophia Daly,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2025
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The unfortunate truth is that the value of your investments will likely decrease.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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