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
Synonyms
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
One fateful night early in my career taught me this skill and the role of fear in a crisis scenario.
—Stanley C. Middleman, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
On the fateful Wednesday morning, an accidental cup of caffeine-free tea had already set an ominous tone for her morning.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
But on a fateful day in 2010, Costa had a skiing accident in Austria.
—Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Remember that fateful Friday afternoon when Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a landmark trade, sending the No. 1 pick in that spring’s NFL draft to the Panthers in exchange for a world of opportunity?
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fateful 
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Stanley C. Middleman, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
On the fateful Wednesday morning, an accidental cup of caffeine-free tea had already set an ominous tone for her morning.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
But on a fateful day in 2010, Costa had a skiing accident in Austria.
—Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Remember that fateful Friday afternoon when Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a landmark trade, sending the No. 1 pick in that spring’s NFL draft to the Panthers in exchange for a world of opportunity?
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
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 22 Nov. 2024.
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