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
Jack, alone and jealous, watches as parents say goodbye to their children before the fateful plane ride.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
Rocha Moya has denied being at the fateful meeting where Zambada was seized.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The task at hand, on what proved to be a very fateful day in 2001, was trying to come up with a topic for the column Field was writing for a trade publication.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Yang’s career solidified on a fateful trip back to China in the summer of 2023, as micro-drama companies began looking to make films overseas.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
Rocha Moya has denied being at the fateful meeting where Zambada was seized.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The task at hand, on what proved to be a very fateful day in 2001, was trying to come up with a topic for the column Field was writing for a trade publication.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Yang’s career solidified on a fateful trip back to China in the summer of 2023, as micro-drama companies began looking to make films overseas.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 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 5 May. 2026.
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