fatal

Causing someone to die, or capable of doing so.

• The accident was fatal.
• Untreated infections can be fatal.
• He suffered fatal injuries in the crash.

How to use it: fatal to someone/something (Even a small amount can be fatal to a child.)

Similar words: deadly, lethal

Opposites: nonfatal

Common phrases: fatal accident, fatal injury, fatal dose

Causing death, complete failure, or the destruction of something.

• That was a fatal mistake.
• The plan had a fatal flaw.
• Losing the contract proved fatal to the business.

How to use it: fatal to something (The loss of funding was fatal to the project.)

Similar words: disastrous, ruinous, deadly

Common phrases: fatal mistake, fatal flaw, fatal blow, fatal wound

Causing a computer program to stop working immediately.

• A fatal error stopped the program.
• The screen displayed a fatal exception message.
• Save your work before another fatal crash occurs.

Similar words: unrecoverable

Opposites: nonfatal

Common phrases: fatal error, fatal exception, fatal system error

Decided by fate, so that people cannot change what will happen.

• They accepted the gods' fatal decree.
• The hero could not escape his fatal destiny.
• She believed the fatal hour had been fixed at birth.

Similar words: fated, predestined, foreordained

Common phrases: fatal decree, fatal destiny, fatal hour

An accident or other event in which someone dies.

• Police reported another fatal overnight.
• Two fatals occurred on that road last month.
• The officer was called to a fatal on the highway.

Similar words: fatal accident, fatality

Common phrases: another fatal, road fatal, report a fatal