as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a fateful encounter with a confidence man that they would long regret
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Recent Examples of fateful
The Crash takes a deep dive into the volatile relationship at the center, examining the shifting narratives of that fateful night to explore where a fatal mistake ends and cold-blooded murder begins, per Netflix’s logline.
—
Peter White, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
The beginning of the downfall of Andrew, everyone agrees, can be traced to that fateful 2019 Newsnight interview where Andrew confirmed his connection with Epstein.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Mar. 2026
Jarring life development A year after that fateful call, Jemison is more admired than ever for being strong and dependable, personally and professionally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Ever since that fateful 1950s day in New Jersey when Steve Spielberg's father roused him from slumber to take a late-night rural drive out to watch a spectacular shooting star show, the legendary filmmaker has been fascinated with outer space and the mysteries of the cosmos.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Peter White, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2026
The beginning of the downfall of Andrew, everyone agrees, can be traced to that fateful 2019 Newsnight interview where Andrew confirmed his connection with Epstein.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Mar. 2026
Jarring life development A year after that fateful call, Jemison is more admired than ever for being strong and dependable, personally and professionally.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2026
Ever since that fateful 1950s day in New Jersey when Steve Spielberg's father roused him from slumber to take a late-night rural drive out to watch a spectacular shooting star show, the legendary filmmaker has been fascinated with outer space and the mysteries of the cosmos.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
-
Duke appeared to be too much for the Huskies, who went more than five minutes without scoring during a disastrous first-half stretch to fall behind, 44-25.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
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And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That is the highest-level designation for severe accidents, placing it alongside the fatal Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) shuttle disasters in terms of gravity.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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The cause of that fatal accident remains under investigation.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That house has a history of unfortunate events, including the fate of Cookie, an errant heiress and her pooch.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The start of 2026 has been a series of unfortunate events for Michelle Harris and her family.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Much like with the newspaper industry, the internet has had a similar impact on radio stations, just not quite as catastrophic.—
Mac Engel
April 2,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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Most notably — and most devastatingly — Woods was involved in a one-car rollover crash in Los Angeles in February 2021, which left him with catastrophic leg injuries.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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