Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective fatal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of fatal are deadly, lethal, and mortal. While all these words mean "causing or capable of causing death," fatal stresses the inevitability of what has in fact resulted in death or destruction.

fatal consequences

When is it sensible to use deadly instead of fatal?

While the synonyms deadly and fatal are close in meaning, deadly applies to an established or very likely cause of death.

a deadly disease

When would lethal be a good substitute for fatal?

The meanings of lethal and fatal largely overlap; however, lethal applies to something that is bound to cause death or exists for the destruction of life.

lethal gas

When might mortal be a better fit than fatal?

The synonyms mortal and fatal are sometimes interchangeable, but mortal implies that death has occurred or is inevitable.

a mortal wound

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fatal In September 2006, Steve tragically passed away at the age of 44 after a fatal stingray injury while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef. Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 Anthony Milligan, 55, faces charges in Jackson County Court of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the fatal April 17 hit-and-run incident, Kansas City police said. Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025 Black lung, a debilitating and often fatal condition caused by inhalation of coal and silica dust during mining, affects roughly 1 in 5 miners who have worked in the Central Appalachian mines for twenty-five years or more, according to NIOSH. Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025 The day of the fatal fall, Goodwin said Bass had checked on Tidus and his brother minutes prior, and then had stepped outside with the dog. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fatal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fatal
Adjective
  • But what could have been a disastrous situation from the jump has the looks of becoming a positive for Báez and the Tigers.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Apple had seemed to resolve this with its Private Cloud Compute, but then its disastrous Apple Intelligence delays made all that somewhat academic for the time being at least.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But South Carolina lawmakers saw it as the quickest and most humane way to kill an inmate, especially with the uncertainty in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Neither are the most lethal shooting teams from deep, with Houston 13th and Memphis 15th in made 3s per game.
    Kelly Iko, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what led to the deadly incident.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Trump has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian campus protests against U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza, which has caused a humanitarian crisis in the enclave and followed a deadly October 2023 attack by Islamist group Hamas.
    Steve Holland and Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Such a difficult call really spotlighted for the first time how tough a situation he has been left in by Eddie Howe’s unfortunate absence (due to pneumonia).
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fatal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fatal. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fatal

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