51³Ô¹Ï

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View synonyms for

fatal

[feyt-l]

adjective

  1. causing or capable of causing death; mortal; deadly.

    a fatal accident;

    a fatal dose of poison.

    Antonyms:
  2. causing destruction, misfortune, ruin, or failure.

    The withdrawal of funds was fatal to the project.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  3. decisively important; fateful.

    The fatal day finally arrived.

  4. proceeding from or decreed by fate; inevitable.

    a fatal series of events.

  5. influencing or concerned with fate; fatalistic.

  6. Obsolete.Ìýcondemned by fate; doomed.

  7. Obsolete.Ìýprophetic.



fatal

/ ˈ´Ú±ðɪ³ÙÉ™±ô /

adjective

  1. resulting in or capable of causing death

    a fatal accident

  2. bringing ruin; disastrous

  3. decisively important; fateful

  4. decreed by fate; destined; inevitable

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51³Ô¹Ï Forms

  • fatalness noun
  • nonfatal adjective
  • nonfatally adverb
  • nonfatalness noun
  • quasi-fatal adjective
  • quasi-fatally adverb
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51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins

Origin of fatal1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English or directly from Old French, from Latin ´ÚÄå³ÙÄå±ô¾±²õ “ordained by fate, decreedâ€; fate, -al 1
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51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins

Origin of fatal1

C14: from Old French fatal or Latin ´ÚÄå³ÙÄå±ô¾±²õ , from ´ÚÄå³Ù³Ü³¾ , see fate
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Synonym Study

Fatal, deadly, lethal, mortal apply to something that has caused or is capable of causing death. Fatal may refer to either the future or the past; in either case, it emphasizes inevitability and the inescapable—the disastrous, whether death or dire misfortune: The accident was fatal. Such a mistake would be fatal. Deadly looks to the future, and suggests that which is likely to cause death (though not inevitably so): a deadly poison, disease. Like deadly, lethal looks to the future but, like many other words of Latin origin, suggests a more technical usage: a lethal dose; a gas that is lethal. Mortal looks to the past and refers to death that has actually occurred: He received a mortal wound. The disease proved to be mortal.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In Minnesota, officials confirmed the fatal shooting of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and the wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman was politically motivated.

From

Across the country, women have been turned away from emergency rooms after suffering ectopic pregnancies, which require an emergency abortion to prevent potentially fatal outcomes.

From

He described the planning and lack of risk assessment before the fatal bout as "sub-optimal".

From

Various theories have been posited as to what could have caused the crash in Ahmedabad, but one pilot I spoke to said that nowadays it's rare for a manufacturer fault to cause a fatal incident.

From

At the time of the fatal stabbing, Mr Masum was subject to court bail conditions to keep away from his wife following charges of assault by beating and making a threat to kill.

From

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When To Use

What doesÌýfatal 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.

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