Fatal Meaning
/ˈfeɪ.təl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjProceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny.
adjForeboding death or great disaster.
Sentence Examples
Life is a fatal sexually transmitted disease.
The strong yen was a fatal blow to the company.
Fatal road accidents have decreased in frequency over recent years.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the snakebite would be ____ if the antidote was not given immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The mountain climber made a ____ mistake when he decided to ignore the approaching storm.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French fatal, from Latin fātālis (“fatal”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill."
— 1935, George Goodchild, chapter 1, in Death on the Centre Court:
"Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible, deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability: […] it is a black spot which all the soaps ever advertised could never wash off."
— 1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:
"Author Rita Mae Brown consistently strings together short comical movie clips which may be fine for screenplays but fatal in novels. Unfortunately, Toder chooses to imitate this model and her story suffers."
— 1980 December 6, Cindy Rizzo, “Jewish, Lesbian, Feminist, Psychologist, Author--All of the above and more”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 20, page 9:
"I shoot Mrs. Marlow expertly through the neck. This is not a fatal wound. The bullet misses every artery. She is paralyzed before it leaves her body. Which doesn’t mean she can’t feel pain. It just means she can’t do anything about it. This is my design."
— 2013 April 4, Hannibal, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Will Graham (Hugh Dancy):
"Surprisingly, this analysis revealed that acute exposure to solvent vapors at concentrations below those associated with long-term effects appears to increase the risk of a fatal automobile accident. Furthermore, this increase in risk is comparable to the risk of death from leukemia after long-term exposure to benzene, another solvent, which has the well-known property of causing this type of cancer."
— 2013 July-August, Philip J. Bushnell, “Solvents, Ethanol, Car Crashes & Tolerance”, in American Scientist:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor said the snakebite would be ____ if the antidote was not given immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The mountain climber made a ____ mistake when he decided to ignore the approaching storm.