fateful

[feyt-fuhl]

adjective

1. having momentous significance or consequences; decisively important; portentous.

   a fateful meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

2. fatal, deadly, or disastrous.

3. controlled or determined by destiny; inexorable.

4. prophetic; ominous.

fateful

/ ˈfeɪtfʊl /

adjective

1. having important consequences; decisively important

2. bringing death or disaster

3. controlled by or as if by fate

4. prophetic

Other Word Forms

• fatefully adverb
• fatefulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fateful¹

First recorded in 1705–15; fate + -ful

Synonym Study

See ominous.

Example Sentences

This is a timeline of those fateful two hours on New Years Eve as laid out in court records.

From Los Angeles Times

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the status of the talks, but told Israelis they were in "fateful days of decision".

From BBC

But 10 minutes into the onslaught that fateful Saturday morning on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a skill Snell has been honing ever since that fateful October night five years ago.

From Los Angeles Times

This would be a fateful decision, because the store is not just a store.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• calamitous 
• cataclysmic 
• catastrophic 
• disastrous 
• fatal