fateful

1 of 2

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: having a quality of ominous prophecy

a fateful remark

2

a

: involving momentous consequences : decisive

… made his fateful decision to declare war …

—W. L. Shirer

b

: deadly, catastrophic

3

: controlled by fate : foreordained

fatefully

ˈfāt-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun

fatefulness

2 of 2

noun

fate·​ful·​ness

-fəlnə̇s

plural -es

: the quality or state of being fateful

unaware of the fatefulness of their meeting until it resulted in both their deaths

Synonyms of fateful

Adjective

• disastrous
• fatal
• unfortunate
• catastrophic

Choose the Right Synonym for fateful

ominous, portentous, fateful mean having a menacing or threatening aspect.

ominous implies having a menacing, alarming character foreshadowing evil or disaster.

ominous rumblings from the volcano

portentous suggests being frighteningly big or impressive but now seldom definitely connotes forewarning of calamity.

an eerie and portentous stillness

fateful suggests being of momentous or decisive importance.

the fateful conference that led to war

Examples of fateful in a Sentence

Adjective

His life changed on that fateful November evening.

Hundreds perished on that fateful day.

Her campaign took a fateful turn.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Again and again, Misty comes fully alive in the presence of others—a saving grace in a town that still often runs on chance meetings, fateful reunions, and testy but resilient relationships. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026

The change in national attitudes since that fateful day has been moderate and consistent with what came before. — Dahlia Scheindlin, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Netanyahu’s opponents accuse him of a litany of failures before and after that fateful day. — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

On that fateful day in February, the person who should have been protecting their children shattered their lives. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1720, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fateful

• ungrateful
• grateful
• hateful

Kids Definition

fateful

adjective

fate·​ful ˈfāt-fəl 

1

: foretelling usually bad things to come

a fateful remark

2

: having serious results : important

a fateful decision

fatefully

-fə-lē 

adverb

fatefulness noun