What does fatality mean?
Fatality is a noun with two principal meanings. In its most common modern use, a fatality is a death resulting from an accident, disaster, act of violence, or disease; news reports, safety investigations, and official statistics routinely speak of 'one fatality' or 'multiple fatalities', and the derived term 'fatality rate' measures deaths relative to a population or number of cases. The word also carries an older, more abstract sense: the quality of being fatal, of something being doomed or destined to end in death or ruin, a meaning rooted in classical notions of fate. Fatality derives ultimately from the Latin fātum, 'that which has been spoken', via its adjective fātālis, which entered English through Old French in the early seventeenth century. Formal and sober in register, it is indispensable for precise, unemotional reporting of loss of life.
A death caused by an accident, disaster, act of violence, or illness.
"The crash resulted in two fatalities."
Frequently used in plural form when reporting incidents involving more than one death.
The quality or condition of being fatal; subjection to fate or an inevitable disastrous outcome.
"He sensed a kind of fatality hanging over the doomed expedition."
This older, literary sense is now comparatively rare.
In gaming, a finishing move that kills a defeated opponent, typically executed with dramatic effect.
"Players spent hours mastering the game's most elaborate fatalities."
Popularized by the Mortal Kombat series in the 1990s; used almost exclusively in gaming contexts.
Standard plural; overwhelmingly common in news, medical, and safety reporting where multiple deaths are counted.
"Authorities confirmed several fatalities following the building collapse."
Fatality comes from Latin fātum — 'that which has been spoken' by the gods — so every death called a fatality carries an echo of ancient ideas about destiny.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fatality
Fatality traces back to the Latin noun fātum, meaning 'that which has been spoken', especially by the gods, hence fate. From fātum came the Latin adjective fātālis, 'of fate, deadly', which passed into medieval Latin and then into French before entering English in the early seventeenth century, initially conveying the influence of destiny or a deadly quality. Its cognates include the English words fatal and fatalism, all sharing the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How fatality is actually used
Most often used formally or in journalistic and official contexts when reporting deaths from accidents, disasters, or conflict; plural 'fatalities' is common in such reporting. The abstract sense relating to fate or inevitability is literary and less common today.
Easily confused with fatality
Mortality refers to the state or rate of death (especially within a population), while a fatality is a specific death resulting from an incident.
A casualty is any person killed or injured in an incident, whereas a fatality counts only the deaths.