Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Vitally affecting subsequent events; being of great consequence; momentous.
  • adjective Controlled by or as if by fate; predetermined.
  • adjective Bringing death or disaster; fatal.
  • adjective Ominously prophetic; portentous.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Charged with fate; determining what is to happen: as, he opened the fateful missive; a fateful contest.
  • Having the power to kill; producing fatal results: as, “the fateful steel,”

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having the power of serving or accomplishing fate.
  • adjective Significant of fate; ominous.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Momentous, significant, setting or sealing ones fate.
  • adjective Determined in advance by fate, fated.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin
  • adjective controlled or decreed by fate; predetermined
  • adjective having momentous consequences; of decisive importance
  • adjective ominously prophetic

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

fate +‎ -ful

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