fatality

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

noun

, plural fa·tal·i·ties.

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

/ 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 Words From

• nonfa·tali·ty noun plural nonfatalities

Word History and Origins

Origin of fatality¹

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

Example Sentences

New York and New Jersey in particular saw hundreds of deaths a day in April, quickly contributing to the country’s total number of fatalities.

From Washington Post

New York and New Jersey in particular recorded hundreds of deaths a day in April, quickly contributing to the country’s total number of fatalities.

From Washington Post

If we compare the necessary spread to achieve herd immunity with the fatality rate, we get a wide range of possible death tolls from the virus.

From Washington Post

The country’s chief medical officers said Sunday that the Covid-19 fatality rate among those ages 5 to 14 is lower than most seasonal flu infections.

From Fortune

Just this past week, California, Florida and Texas, along with a handful of other states, saw record spikes in fatalities.

From FiveThirtyEight

Just as Obama was heading back to his house that night, a 14-year-old named Kevin Diaz became the latest Chicago gun fatality.

From The Daily Beast

The Good Wife introduced its potentially fatal fatality into a world already in flux.

From The Daily Beast

They're neither rising nor falling, and the highest fatality shooting took place while the assault-weapons ban was in place.

From The Daily Beast

The gun-fatality rate for blacks far exceeds that for whites.

From The Daily Beast

A 26-year-old man was the first fatality of the riots, found shot in his car.

From The Daily Beast

Many, however, are not aware of the fatality attending its use by the brute creation.

From Project Gutenberg

By a strange fatality, they were generally purblind, and always shyed most fearfully when an Opposition coach approached them.

From Project Gutenberg

She had fallen in love; fallen with the fatality of the Lemprieres, and with the fine precipitate sweep of her own genius.

From Project Gutenberg

You would not believe me: you went this morning to St. Catherine's, and by a fatality the prince was there and saw you.'

From Project Gutenberg

Misfortune, Fatality, had willed that a drop of water thicker than the surrounding medium should pass through one of the mollusks.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accident
• casualty
• disaster
• mortality