fatality means the state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control. It carries an Arena rating of 1651, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, fatality ranks #396 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #657 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,450 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,769 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
fatality is pronounced /feɪˈtælɪti/.
Why “fatality” is a great word
A death resulting from an accident, disaster, or other violent or tragic event. Its etymology descends through French fatalité, from Late Latin fatalitatem (nominative fatalitas) meaning "fatal necessity," itself from Latin fatalis ("decreed by fate"). Unlike "casualty," which encompasses the injured and lost, or "mortality," which denotes the abstract condition or rate, a fatality is a specific, closed account. It is the chalk outline on the pavement, the name read aloud at a memorial, the stark, singular line in a statistical report—the moment an individual narrative is irrevocably subsumed by the impersonal grammar of fate.
Etymology
From French fatalité. equivalent to fatal + -ity. The video game move sense was popularized by the Mortal Kombat series.
noun
- The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.
- Tendency to death, destruction or danger, as if by decree of fate.
- That which is decreed by fate or which is fatal; a fatal event.e.g.“What can I say, or think of this most terrible of fatalities?” — 1851, Wilkie Collins, The Twin Sisters:
- Death.
- An accident that causes death.e.g.“the whole thing felt like being in a near traffic fatality avoided by inches and later not being able to think of the whole thing lest you begin shaking...” — 2011, David Foster Wallace, The Pale King, page 13:
- A person killed.
- A move used to deliver a coup de grâce to a defeated opponent.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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