fatality

noun

fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce fatality (audio)
fə-
plural fatalities
1
a
: the quality or state of causing death or destruction
b
: the quality or condition of being destined for disaster
2
: something established by fate
3
4
: the agent or agency of fate
5
a
: death resulting from a disaster
b
: one that experiences a fatal outcome

Examples of fatality in a Sentence

The car crash caused one fatality and several serious injuries. the grim reminder that every holiday weekend inevitably results in a slew of highway fatalities
Recent Examples on the Web Drivers who were attempting to navigate the roadways were often stranded, but no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. Donner Pass saw roughly 69 inches of snowfall over the past three days, with 98 inches at the summit. Bychris Morris, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 And with 65 of every 100,000 Dominicans dying in road accidents every year, the country also has the highest rate of traffic fatalities in the Americas, according to World Bank data. Mya Guarnieri, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 According to the data, there have been 893 fatalities and 4,146 serious injuries on public roadways between 2016 and 2023. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 This is the first pedestrian fatality on Indianapolis streets this year, according to the Indy Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety Crisis, an X/Twitter account that tracks crashes. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024 The document also states that during the autopsy of the lone fatality, Johnson County mother and disc jockey Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a .38-caliber class bullet was recovered from her body. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2024 That included 12 people in Missouri and six in Kansas, although the Kansas Department of Transportation’s data showed seven fatalities. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024 According to data from Vision Zero Louisville, an initiative started by the city in 2021, 136 fatalities were recorded in the city last year, compared to 128 in 2022. The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 The National Safety Council’s 2021 report said major airlines experienced no onboard fatalities. Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fatality.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitat-, fatalitas, from Latin fatalis

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatality was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fatality

Cite this Entry

“Fatality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatality. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fatality

noun
fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē How to pronounce fatality (audio)
fə-
plural fatalities
: a death resulting from a disaster or accident

Medical Definition

fatality

noun
fa·​tal·​i·​ty fā-ˈtal-ət-ē, fə- How to pronounce fatality (audio)
plural fatalities
1
: the quality or state of causing death or destruction : deadliness
the degree of fatality of a disease
2
a
: death resulting from a disaster
a car crash causing several fatalities
b
: one who suffers such a death
one of the fatalities was a small child

More from Merriam-Webster on fatality

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