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
But as the bill awaits that fateful hearing, the changes from last year have smoothed the criticisms that ultimately proved fatal.
—Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
Everyone is a suspect, and there’s a lot of buildup to finding out what happened at a fateful St. Patrick’s Day party 15 years prior — especially when Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) makes a mysterious reference to an incident that made the entire school ostracize her.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Paramount Theatre, March 9, 11 a.m. The Threesome One fateful night, the stars seemingly align for Connor — a kind and unassuming young man — as his long-time crush — the electric and irreverent Olivia — steers them into a threesome with a sweet, alluring stranger Jenny.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Season 3 finds the brittle sanity of Navajo Tribal policeman Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, still deserving of an Emmy) eroding in the aftermath of the death of B.J. Vines (John Diehl) — a fateful figure with ties to his family.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
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Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2025
Everyone is a suspect, and there’s a lot of buildup to finding out what happened at a fateful St. Patrick’s Day party 15 years prior — especially when Chelsea (Ilana Glazer) makes a mysterious reference to an incident that made the entire school ostracize her.
—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Paramount Theatre, March 9, 11 a.m. The Threesome One fateful night, the stars seemingly align for Connor — a kind and unassuming young man — as his long-time crush — the electric and irreverent Olivia — steers them into a threesome with a sweet, alluring stranger Jenny.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 7 Mar. 2025
Season 3 finds the brittle sanity of Navajo Tribal policeman Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, still deserving of an Emmy) eroding in the aftermath of the death of B.J. Vines (John Diehl) — a fateful figure with ties to his family.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fateful
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Cite this Entry
“Fateful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fateful. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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