fateful
Americanadjective
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having momentous significance or consequences; decisively important; portentous.
a fateful meeting between the leaders of the two countries.
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fatal, deadly, or disastrous.
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controlled or determined by destiny; inexorable.
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prophetic; ominous.
adjective
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having important consequences; decisively important
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bringing death or disaster
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controlled by or as if by fate
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prophetic
Related Words
See ominous.
Other Word Forms
- fatefully adverb
- fatefulness noun
Etymology
Origin of fateful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One fateful September afternoon, I received a message on Upwork.
From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026
“This fateful operation will continue as long as necessary, and it requires patience,” Netanyahu said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
These are fateful moments in the turbulent history of the Islamic Republic of Iran - but its most powerful clerics and commanders have been preparing for it.
From BBC • Feb. 28, 2026
His mother, Caridad Mercader, was a Cuban-born militant; on the fateful day, she sat waiting for her son in the getaway car.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Marcus hardly knew how to deal with the aftermath of that fateful day at the circus.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
