fatality

American  

[fey-tal-i-tee, fuh-] / feɪˈtæl ɪ ti, fə- /

noun

• fatalities
  plural

1. a disaster resulting in death.

2. a death resulting from such an occurrence.

   a rise in highway fatalities.

3. the quality of causing death or disaster; a fatal influence; deadliness.

4. predetermined liability to disaster, misfortune, etc..

   a fatality for saying the wrong thing.

5. the quality of being predetermined by or subject to fate.

   There is a fatality in human affairs that leads to destruction.

6. the fate or destiny of a person or thing.

   Death is the ultimate fatality of all human beings.

7. a fixed, unalterably predetermined course of things; inevitability.

   to resign oneself to the fatality of life.

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fatality British  

/ fəˈtælɪtɪ /

noun

1. an accident or disaster resulting in death

2. a person killed in an accident or disaster

3. the power of causing death or disaster; deadliness

4. the quality or condition of being fated

5. something caused or dictated by fate

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonfatality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fatalities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fatality

From the Late Latin word fātālitās, dating back to 1480–90. See fatal, -ity

Explanation

If you hear on your car radio that there has been a traffic accident up ahead with one fatality, you should be very thankful you were not involved. A fatality is, quite simply and grimly, a human death. You will often hear fatality used in conjunction with the aftermath of a disaster, natural or otherwise. For example, a news broadcaster may say, "We have received reports of at least one fatality as a result of the storm." Fatality has its roots in the Latin word fatalis, meaning "decreed by fate." When it comes to fatality, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can certainly be ill-fated.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fatality fatalities

The storm’s one recorded fatality died overnight, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday, adding that about 80 rescues have been made.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Only “appropriate authorities” can confirm a fatality after coordinating with the communications office and notifying the decedent’s next of kin, the Post reported, citing the memo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

According to the latest official figures, more than 1,000 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo involves Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which has a reported fatality rate of 30% to 50%.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026

One crumpled frankfurter lav 011 its side, its one wheel horizontal above it, a traffic fatality.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

According to Reuters, it took close to five months for the world's deadliest outbreak of 2014-2016 in West Africa to reach 1,000 fatalities - the current outbreak reached 2,000 deaths in less than three months.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

These include high-profile fatalities such as Switzerland's Muriel Furrer, who was not spotted leaving the road during the 2024 Road World Championships' junior road race, leaving a head injury untreated for more than an hour.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Add in scooters, and fatalities stand at 20, up from 13 last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He attributes the fact that no fatalities have been reported in part to the seriousness with which residents and public safety personnel have handled evacuations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

And yet traffic fatalities continued to be a tenacious problem.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• accident
• casualty
• disaster
• mortality