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
W. L. Shirer
b
3
: controlled by fate : foreordained
fatefulness
noun
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
Years later, in 1988, the pair had another fateful meeting when Kennedy’s aunt, Lee Radziwill, married director Herbert Ross.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Before her fateful downhill run Sunday — one that ended with a violent crash after 13 seconds — Lindsey Vonn pulled on a pair of out-of-production gloves from her childhood skiing idol, Picabo Street.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league — although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Defeat at Fort Necessity Washington then made the fateful decision to dig in and call for reinforcements instead of retreating in the face of inevitable French retaliation.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
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Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
Before her fateful downhill run Sunday — one that ended with a violent crash after 13 seconds — Lindsey Vonn pulled on a pair of out-of-production gloves from her childhood skiing idol, Picabo Street.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham’s manager at the start of that season, was sacked on November 19, with the team 14th in the league — although the fateful conversation with then-chairman Daniel Levy was conducted off-camera.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Defeat at Fort Necessity Washington then made the fateful decision to dig in and call for reinforcements instead of retreating in the face of inevitable French retaliation.
—Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fateful. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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