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.

---

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

---

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 WHO's figures for the DRC, which come from the health authorities in the vast country, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 34 percent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

“By some cursed fatality we could never draw together,” Clinton wrote after Howe repeatedly changed his battle plans, leading to the catastrophic British defeat at Saratoga in October 1777.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

She paid tribute to the train driver Shaun Burton, 60, who died in the crash – the only fatality.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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

In many parts of the world the fatality rate from parathion is startling: 100 fatal cases in India and 67 in Syria in 1958, and an average of 336 deaths per year in Japan.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for approximately 19.8 million fatalities in 2022 alone.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

Over the next year, the lined highways reported significantly fewer crashes and a 37% reduction in fatalities and injuries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

Many of those fatalities are among those aged 65 and over, it said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Many of the extra fatalities are among those aged 65 over, the agency said, after logging a 40% rise in the number of people dying at home.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

There are no official reports as yet of injuries or fatalities.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• accident
• casualty
• disaster
• mortality