fatal
bringing death
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,071 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 8,594 times across 175,112 chapters — 0.004% of every word in the library.
What it means
adjective
- bringing death
- having momentous consequences; of decisive importance also: fateful that fateful meeting of the U.N. when...it declared war on North Koreathe fatal day of the election finally arrived
- (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin also: black, calamitous, disastrous, fateful the stock market crashed on Black Fridaya calamitous defeat
- controlled or decreed by fate; predetermined also: fateful a fatal series of events
fatal in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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Did rival Monarchs give the fatal Wound?
The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749) and Two · Samuel Johnson · Chapter 1
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The blow proved fatal to Dame Tresham.
A Knight of the White Cross · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
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No one as yet could foresee the frightful disasters which were to mark the end of that fatal year.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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But be careful not to return to the stable or to the bedroom; they have proved too fatal to you.
The Yellow Fairy Book: The Grateful Beasts · World Traditions (Celtic, Norse, Asian & Persian) · Chapter 1
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There lacked not men of prowess, Nor men of lordly race, For all Etruria's noblest Were round the fatal place.
Narrative and Lyric Poems (first series) · O. J. [Annotator] Stevenson · Chapter 1