From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfatefulfate‧ful /ˈfeɪtfəl/ adjective [usually before noun]IMPORTANThaving an important, especially bad, effect on future eventsfateful day/night/year etcThe goalkeeper on that fateful day in 1954 was Fred Martin.When his rent was raised, he made the fateful decision to move north. —fatefully adverbExamples from the Corpusfateful• There were to be extraordinaryinconsistencies in the description of that fateful call by the main participants.• To go no further back than the nineteenth century, we have had the fatefuldates 1815,1871,1914.• Years later, all that she would remember of that fateful day were two things.• Whether to try cotton again is a potentially fatefuldecision for Valleyfarmers.• In just these few days the name had taken on a resonance, a sense of fateful event.fateful day/night/year etc• Tony is one of two silentvictims of that fateful day.• Then in mid-July, shortly after his requestedtransfer to the U. S. Army finally came through, the fateful nightarrived.• Wishart thought back to what he had heard about that fateful night at the banquet.• The scores of journalists who had descended on New Madrid for the fateful day ended up reporting on one another instead.• One fateful day, he was sitting on his horse when a stunt went awry in a JohnFordpicture.• The first delivery of post came and went on that fateful day, no letter.• Years later, all that she would remember of that fateful day were two things.• The least valuedattribute may come to the rescue on some fateful day when that very quality is required.