fatality

[ fey-tal-i-tee, fuh- ]

/ feɪˈtæl ɪ ti, fə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fatality ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural fa·tal·i·ties.

a disaster resulting in death.

a death resulting from such an occurrence: a rise in highway fatalities.

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

predetermined liability to disaster, misfortune, etc.: a fatality for saying the wrong thing.

the quality of being predetermined by or subject to fate: There is a fatality in human affairs that leads to destruction.

the fate or destiny of a person or thing: Death is the ultimate fatality of all human beings.

a fixed, unalterably predetermined course of things; inevitability: to resign oneself to the fatality of life.

Nearby words

fatah, fatal, fatalism, fatalist, fatalistic, fatality, fatality rate, fatally, fatback, fatbody, fate

Origin of fatality

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

Related formsnon·fa·tal·i·ty, noun, plural non·fa·tal·i·ties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fatality

A 26-year-old man was the first fatality of the riots, found shot in his car.
Cameron: Rioters Will Pay||August 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Keep in mind, what they've been exposed to is 0.1 rem, and about 50 percent fatality is on the order of 400 rem.
Japan Nuclear Fallout: How Bad Could It Get?|Josh Dzieza|March 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The chances of you being on a flight with at least one fatality are 10 times greater in the loser bucket.
How Safe Is Your Airline?|Rudy Maxa|August 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST
It was one of those tales which seem to argue a sort of ill-luck or fatality attached to the hero.
The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Vol. 1., Illustrated|Sir Walter Scott

It is my conviction, or my delusion, no matter which, that crime brings its own fatality with it.
The Moonstone|Wilkie Collins
They look upon it as a fatality which is certain to eventuate, no matter what steps may be taken.
The Pig|Sanders Spencer
I wonder if it was accident, or if there's such a thing as fatality.
The Climbers|Clyde Fitch
Fatality appeared to be warning her with funereal presentiments.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse|Vicente Blasco Ibanez

British Dictionary definitions for fatality

fatality

/ (fəˈtælɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

an accident or disaster resulting in death

a person killed in an accident or disaster

the power of causing death or disaster; deadliness

the quality or condition of being fated

something caused or dictated by fate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fatality

fatality

late 15c., "quality of causing death," from French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitatem (nominative fatalitas), from Latin fatalis (see fatal). Senses in 16c.-17c. included "determined by fate" and "a destiny." Meaning "an occurrence resulting in widespread death" is from 1840. Related: Fatalities.

Medicine definitions for fatality

fatality

[ fā-tăl′ĭ-tē, fə- ]

n.

A death resulting from an accident or disaster.

One that is killed as a result of such an occurrence.

fatality

noun, plural fa·tal·i·ties.

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Nearby words

Origin of fatality

Examples from the Web for fatality

British Dictionary definitions for fatality

fatality

noun plural -ties

Word Origin and History for fatality

fatality

Medicine definitions for fatality

fatality

n.