fatal

fatal — adjective

1. leading directly to someone's death — used for illnesses, injuries, and accident

1.形容詞B2
釋義

leading directly to someone's death — used for illnesses, injuries, and accidents that end a person's life.

例句

Tariq's uncle died from a fatal heart attack while he was working in the garden.

collocation: fatal heart attack

The doctor told Élise that the injury to her spine was not fatal.

predicative use: be fatal

同義詞
  • deadly

    broader — can mean 'able to cause death' rather than 'actually causing death'; 'a deadly poison' may only be dangerous in large doses

  • lethal

    more technical and clinical; often used for weapons, chemicals, or doses ('a lethal injection')

  • mortal

    more formal and literary; used for wounds, blows, or enemies ('a mortal wound')

反義詞
  • non-fatal

    the direct opposite in medical/report contexts ('non-fatal injuries')

  • harmless

    stronger contrast — not causing any harm at all

文法句型

fatal + noun

be fatal

prove fatal

be fatal to + noun

用法筆記

Used mainly in medical and accident contexts. The pattern 'prove fatal' is frequent in formal writing and news reports, while 'be fatal' is more neutral and common in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor said the injury was fatal but he recovered.
✅The doctor said the injury was potentially fatal, but he recovered.
💡'fatal' means death has actually occurred or is certain; use 'potentially fatal' for possibility.

2. so serious that it causes complete failure or total ruin — used of decisions, mi

2.形容詞B2
釋義

so serious that it causes complete failure or total ruin — used of decisions, mistakes, or design flaws that destroy any chance of success.

例句

João made a fatal mistake when he sent the email to the wrong client.

collocation: fatal mistake

The team's lack of preparation proved fatal to their chances of winning.

pattern: prove fatal to + noun

同義詞
  • disastrous

    similar intensity but slightly broader — can describe events that cause widespread suffering, not just failure ('a disastrous flood')

  • devastating

    emphasises the emotional or psychological impact of the ruin ('devastating news')

  • catastrophic

    suggests a very large scale of disaster ('catastrophic economic collapse')

反義詞
  • minor

    describes problems with small, manageable consequences

  • harmless

    causing no damage at all

  • beneficial

    producing a good result, the opposite of destructive

文法句型

fatal + noun

be fatal to + noun

prove fatal

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1 ('CAUSING DEATH'), this sense does NOT involve physical death. The object of ruin is typically abstract: plans, careers, projects, or reputations. The preposition 'to' follows 'fatal' when specifying what is ruined: 'The delay was fatal to our deal.'

常見錯誤

❌I made a fatal error in my homework and lost two points.
✅I made a careless error in my homework and lost two points.
💡'fatal' means completely destructive, not a minor mistake that only loses a few points.