fateful

[ feyt-fuhl ]

adjective

1. having momentous significance or consequences; decisively important; portentous:

   a fateful meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

2. fatal, deadly, or disastrous.
3. controlled or determined by destiny; inexorable.
4. prophetic; ominous.

fateful

/ ˈfeɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. having important consequences; decisively important
2. bringing death or disaster
3. controlled by or as if by fate
4. prophetic

Derived Forms

• ˈfatefulness, noun
• ˈfatefully, adverb

Other Words From

• fateful·ly adverb
• fateful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fateful¹

First recorded in 1705–15; fate + -ful

Synonym Study

See ominous.

Example Sentences

Since that fateful day, I have been writing about the extraordinary dangers Trump poses for the country.

From Salon

On that fateful first day, scammers posing as officials from India’s telecom regulator called Lucknow-based Dr Tandon, claiming her number would be disconnected due to “22 complaints” of harassing messages sent from it.

From BBC

Disconnected from the magnitude of this fateful moment, the danger of a fascist president leading a fanatical movement becomes an abstraction.

From Salon

In the poignant scene about her mom, Gunvalson collapsed on the floor and devolved into screams upon getting the fateful phone call.

From Los Angeles Times

On that fateful day in May 2018, Cimarron's nine-year-old sister found her lying on the floor of her parents’ bedroom with a gun by her side.

From BBC

Related Words

• calamitous
• cataclysmic
• catastrophic
• disastrous
• fatal