fatally

adverb

fa·​tal·​ly ˈfā-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce fatally (audio)
1
: in a way determined by fate
2
: in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as
a
: in a manner resulting in death : mortally
fatally wounded
b
: beyond repair : irrevocably
c
: in a manner resulting in ruin or evil
it is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinionsW. F. Hambly
d
: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted
thinks she is fatally attractiveJ. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The manhunt for Michael Brown continued in the mountains just west of Anaconda, where he is accused of fatally shooting four people in the Owl Bar, according to Lee Johnson, administrator of the state Division of Criminal Investigation. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2025 Deluca, a musician, and Kaye, who worked as a music supervisor at American Idol for over 20 years, were found fatally shot inside their home four days later, after officers responded to a welfare check. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025 At one point, a service station minimart hold-up goes terribly and almost fatally sideways when an unexpected customer opens fire. Joe Leydon, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025 The suspects are accused of targeting a woman at a nearby motel before returning and fatally shooting 48-year-old Santiago Lopez Morales in Garland, the outlet reported. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fatally

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatally was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Fatally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatally. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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