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fatal
[ feyt-l ]
adjective
a fatal accident;
a fatal dose of poison.
Antonyms:
- causing destruction, misfortune, ruin, or failure:
The withdrawal of funds was fatal to the project.
Synonyms: , , , ,
- decisively important; fateful:
The fatal day finally arrived.
- proceeding from or decreed by fate; inevitable:
a fatal series of events.
- influencing or concerned with fate; fatalistic.
- Obsolete. condemned by fate; doomed.
- Obsolete. prophetic.
fatal
/ ˈڱɪə /
adjective
- resulting in or capable of causing death
a fatal accident
- bringing ruin; disastrous
- decisively important; fateful
- decreed by fate; destined; inevitable
Other 51Թ Forms
- ڲt·Ա noun
- ԴDz·ڲt adjective
- ԴDz·ڲt·ly adverb
- non·ڲt·Ա noun
- ܲȴ-ڲt adjective
- ܲȴ-ڲt·ly adverb
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of fatal1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Three years after its launch, however, he resurfaces to announce that the drug was designed to be fatal three years after its ingestion, even if someone only took it once.
The result means Arsenal suffered a potentially fatal blow in their quest for the Premier League crown.
Officers arrived and found a man with a fatal gunshot wound, but no gunman was found.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that presents as a rash and cold-like symptoms for many patients, and can lead to serious or fatal complications for others.
The dosage of drugs inside is hundreds of times higher than those used in regular healthcare and is "guaranteed" to be fatal, Dr Moore explains.
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More About Fatal
What doesfatal mean?
Fatal literally means deadly—capable of causing death.
Similar words are deadly, lethal, and mortal—though they are often used in different ways.
Fatal can also be used in a figurative way to mean capable of causing the destruction, ruin, or failure of someone or something, as in Failing to update their products proved to be a fatal mistake for the company.
Example: These changes will hopefully greatly reduce the number of fatal car accidents that occur on highways.
Where doesfatal come from?
The first records of fatal in English come from the second half of the 1300s. It comes from the Latin , meaning “of fate.” Fatal was originally used in English to refer to things affected or doomed by fate—and it can still be used this way, though it is uncommon. It wasn’t until around the 1500s that fatal started to be used to refer to things that can cause death or ruin.
Most commonly, fatal is applied to things that can cause death, such as a fatal dose of drugs, or things that have resulted in death, such as a fatal accident. A mistake can be described as fatal if it literally causes someone to die. But the phrase fatal mistake more often refers to something that caused the destruction of something, as in The chaotic press conference ended up being fatal to the campaign.
Fatal can mean “fateful,” but this is much less commonly used than its other senses. However, it is used in this way in the term fatalism, referring to a belief that everything is inevitable and determined by fate. Someone with such a view can be described as fatalistic.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to fatal?
- fatally (adverb)
- nonfatally (adverb)
- fatalness (noun)
- nonfatal (adjective)
- nonfatalness (noun)
What are some synonyms for fatal?
What are some words that share a root or word element with fatal?
What are some words that often get used in discussing fatal?
How isfatal used in real life?
Fatal is most often used in a literal (and very serious) way to refer to something that caused or can cause death.
One of the men accused in the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery was involved in a previous prosecution of Arbery, according to a letter written by a prosecutor who has since recused himself from the case
— CNN (@CNN)
MORE: For context, this is considered a fatal dose of fentanyl – approx. 2.5 milligrams.
Fentanyl is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine, and highly addictive.
Experts says users are seeking out dealers who’ve caused fatal overdoses all in order to secure a stronger high.
— Kevin Lewis (@ABC7Kevin)
Remember that success isn’t final, failure isn’t fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts 🦍
— Burna Boy (@burnaboy)
Try usingfatal!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym for fatal?
A. lethal
B. deadly
C. trivial
D. ruinous
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