fatality
fatality — noun
1. a death that results from a sudden, violent event such as a car crash, a buildin
a death that results from a sudden, violent event such as a car crash, a building fire, or an armed attack; the word can also refer to the person who dies in such an event
The highway patrol reported three fatalities on the icy road near Springfield.
collocation: report / cause fatalities
Among the fifteen passengers on the bus, Sayaka's grandfather was the only fatality.
Emergency workers are trained to handle scenes with multiple fatalities after a disaster.
Most traffic fatalities in the city happen at night when drivers cannot see clearly.
The mining company faced questions after two fatalities occurred in the cave-in.
- survival
escaping death in a dangerous situation
文法句型
fatality + from + [cause]
usually plural in news reports
用法筆記
Frequently used in the plural when reporting multiple deaths in accidents or disasters. Common in news reporting — typical collocates include 'road fatalities', 'traffic fatalities', and 'result in fatalities'.
常見錯誤
2. a measure of how likely a disease, poison, or dangerous situation is to kill the
a measure of how likely a disease, poison, or dangerous situation is to kill the people who are affected by it
The fatality of the infection worried doctors because it killed nearly half of all patients.
uncountable: the fatality of [disease killer]
Selim compared the fatality rates of three different flu strains for his research paper.
collocation: fatality rate
A snake's venom varies in fatality depending on the species and the amount injected.
The high fatality of the outbreak forced the government to close schools and offices.
Elena's research team is studying how the virus's fatality changes with patients' age and general health.
- lethality
a more technical or scientific term for the capacity to cause death
- deadliness
a more informal and general word for the ability to cause death
- harmlessness
the quality of causing no injury or death
文法句型
the fatality of [disease / poison / danger]
fatality rate
用法筆記
Uncountable in this sense — do not use 'a fatality' when you mean deadliness. The common compound 'fatality rate' refers to the proportion of deaths among all confirmed cases of a disease.
常見錯誤
3. the idea that events in life are fixed in advance and that people cannot change
the idea that events in life are fixed in advance and that people cannot change them; a feeling of accepting that bad things will happen because fate decides everything
After the war, a strange fatality took hold of the survivors — they felt nothing they did mattered.
uncountable: sense / mood of fatality
Rohan rejected the fatality his grandfather preached and worked hard every day to improve his life.
The novel's main character struggles against the fatality that seems to guide every event in his life.
A mood of fatality settled over the village as the drought continued week after week.
Lotte's philosophy teacher explained that fatality is different from simple pessimism.
- fatalism
the more common term for the philosophical belief that events are predetermined
- predestination
a specific religious doctrine within Christianity and Islam that God has decided everything in advance
- free will
the belief that people can make their own choices and shape their own lives
文法句型
sense / mood of fatality
用法筆記
Uncountable and formal in this sense. Often appears in literary, philosophical, or historical writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (a countable death) — sense 3 is an abstract belief or mood, never used with numbers like 'three fatalities'.