WordGarden.iofatally
A2Pronunciation
UK
- /fˈeɪtəli/
US
- /ˈfeɪtəli/
Meanings
Adverb
in a way that causes or results in death
in a way that causes complete failure or ruin
Beyond the definition
"Fatally" is an adverb used to describe something that causes death or leads to a final, disastrous result. You will often see it with words like "injured" or "wounded" in news reports, where it means a person did not survive. But the word is not only about physical death. A plan, decision, or argument can be "fatally flawed," meaning there is a serious mistake that causes it to fail. The word has a heavy tone and suggests that the damage cannot be undone.
The word "fatally" functions as an adverb, showing that an action, event, or condition causes death or leads to a final failure. Words like "critically" or "severely" suggest great danger, but "fatally" points to the end result: death. You will often encounter it in serious contexts, especially in reports about accidents, violence, or illness: "The passenger was fatally injured in the collision."
Beyond physical death, "fatally" is also used for mistakes, weaknesses, or damage that ruin something completely. A politician's career might be "fatally damaged" by a scandal, or a legal case might be "fatally weakened" by missing evidence. In this broader sense, it means the problem is so serious that recovery is no longer possible. It is also useful to distinguish "fatally" from "deadly": a "deadly" object or situation can cause death, but when something happens "fatally," the deadly result has already happened or is clearly certain. Because the word carries strong force, it should be used carefully and precisely.
Examples
- 1
Fire report
Three people were fatally injured in the fire.
- 2
Police raid
The officer was fatally shot during the raid.
- 3
Disease spread
The disease had already spread fatally by the time it was discovered.
- 4
Argument flaw
The whole argument is fatally flawed.
- Phrasefatally flawed
so seriously wrong that it cannot succeed or be accepted
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Project planning
They fatally underestimated how much money the project would need.
- Patternfatally + verb
in a way that leads to failure or disaster, not only death
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
- nonfatally
- harmlessly
Used with (collocations)
- fatally injured
- fatally wounded
- fatally shot
Word family
Explore
- cause of death
- life-threatening
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- fatallyadverb