as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
a fateful encounter with a confidence man that they would long regret
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Recent Examples of fateful
However, everything changes one fateful day when a mother, Rosie (Molly Windsor), loses her daughter, Grace (Olivia Pickering), in the woods.
—
Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
But when Estrada Juárez went to that fateful interview, officials found the original 1998 removal order, Tolchin said.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Over the years, there have been varying reports speculating about what may have gone wrong during the fateful Pepsi shoot.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
And that’s when, for the first time, Bain was asked about the fateful accident.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
But when Estrada Juárez went to that fateful interview, officials found the original 1998 removal order, Tolchin said.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Over the years, there have been varying reports speculating about what may have gone wrong during the fateful Pepsi shoot.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
And that’s when, for the first time, Bain was asked about the fateful accident.
—Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fateful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fateful
Adjective
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After enduring nearly 10 months with the heartache of disastrous flooding that killed 28 people at the camp – 25 campers, two counselors and the camp’s director, Dick Eastland – days of hearings resulted in an unexpected decision by Camp Mystic’s leaders.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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His portrayal of best-selling thriller writer Greg Russo — adrift in a New England college after a disastrous campus speaking engagement — lands in that sweet spot between comedy and drama that has increasingly defined the modern Emmy landscape.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
2 May 2026
Adjective
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Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shootings of three adults in Baldwin Park last week — two of whom were a married couple, officials said, who were being mourned by their college-age children.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Police have arrested a man on murder and firearm charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Stratford earlier this month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But, yeah, that would be unfortunate.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
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In this unfortunate category, Amazon’s new feature for generating mini-podcast segments that shill for products on its shopping platform really takes the cake.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Despite heroic acts of survival, 25 girls and two counselors died in the catastrophic flooding, as did camp co-owner Dick Eastland.—
Brian Brant,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.—
Austin Amestoy,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fateful. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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