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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Pennsylvania officials confirm 3 people fatally struck by train Bristol Borough Police Chief Joe Moors confirmed three people are dead after being hit by an Amtrak train in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Thursday. Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Apr. 2025 Styr memorably beat the heck out of Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in a hand-to-hand battle before Snow fatally placed his axe in Styr's head. Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025 Three people were shot, one fatally, at a home in Fort Lauderdale Friday morning, police say. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025 On March 14, 2022, Murphy walked in to the Baton Rouge police station and admitted to fatally shooting his girlfriend Kaylen, who was reported missing by family three days earlier, Fox 8 reports, citing authorities. Nicole Acosta, People.com, 4 Apr. 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 14 Apr. 2025.

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