fatal stresses the inevitability of what has in fact resulted in death or destruction.

FATAL definition: 1. A fatal illness, accident, etc. causes death: 2. very serious and having an important bad…. Learn more.

Fatal describes conditions, circumstances, or events that have already caused death or are virtually certain to do so in the future: a fatal accident; a fatal illness.

Jan 20, 2026 · (computing) Causing a sudden end to the running of a program. a fatal error; a fatal exception

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 …

Definition of fatal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Fatal definition: Causing or capable of causing death.

FATAL definition: causing or capable of causing death; mortal; deadly. See examples of fatal used in a sentence.

A fatal accident or illness causes someone's death. ...the fatal stabbing of a police sergeant. A hospital spokesman said she had suffered a fatal heart attack.

She made a fatal mistake/error. The plan contained a fatal flaw. [=a flaw that would cause it to fail] a fatal weakness