1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
I made the fatal mistake of sharing my secret with the office's biggest blabbermouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
that snake's venom is fatal unless the victim is given the antidote almost immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fatal
Instead, it might be remembered as the most challenging and traumatic summer since the horrors at Hillsborough in 1989 and the fatal crush, with the loss of 97 lives, that caused Britain’s worst sporting disaster.
—
Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Davidson was also accused of making unauthorized and premature press statements about a pending investigation into a fatal police shooting involving Ambrose.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The United States has struck a crippling, but not fatal blow at Iran’s nuclear weapons aspirations.
—Brett Schaefer, National Review, 23 June 2025
And the mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Davidson was also accused of making unauthorized and premature press statements about a pending investigation into a fatal police shooting involving Ambrose.
—Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The United States has struck a crippling, but not fatal blow at Iran’s nuclear weapons aspirations.
—Brett Schaefer, National Review, 23 June 2025
And the mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
-
That does not mean people place blind faith in AI or use it to displace human-to-human interactions; that would be disastrous.—
Yasmin Green,
Foreign Affairs,
7 July 2025
-
It was largely forgotten about until closer to release (December 2020 was launch, and its disastrous release was all anyone could talk about).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Police said less lethal munitions were deployed by federal authorities.—
Jenna Sundel
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
-
The industrial and technological revolutions, also beginning in the 18th century, have made war vastly more destructive and lethal.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
2 July 2025
Adjective
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Texan communities are dealing with the impact of the deadly flash floods along the Guadalupe River, which have killed at least 80 people so far.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
7 July 2025
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The search for those swept into deadly floods in central Texas continued Sunday as the death toll climbed to 78.—
Annabella Rosciglione,
The Washington Examiner,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
14 July 2025
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Fortunately for him, that gaffe will be a little easier to live down than Teal and Weinberg’s unfortunate comments.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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