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
After losing her job and her boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small hometown in Texas, where her friends and memories of a fateful summer in high school turn her life upside down.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Police allege that on the fateful afternoon, three Norteños ran into three rival Fremont Sureños at the convenience store, resulting in a fistfight and then the shooting.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Nearly nine years after that fateful meeting in London, their chemistry is still apparent.
—Carey Purcell, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2026
On that fateful night in early December 1961, Carla’s parents were, as usual, at a party.
—Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
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Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026
Police allege that on the fateful afternoon, three Norteños ran into three rival Fremont Sureños at the convenience store, resulting in a fistfight and then the shooting.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Nearly nine years after that fateful meeting in London, their chemistry is still apparent.
—Carey Purcell, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2026
On that fateful night in early December 1961, Carla’s parents were, as usual, at a party.
—Jennifer Cannon, Vanity Fair, 7 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 12 Apr. 2026.
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