fatal
gb/fˈeɪtəl/ us/fˈeɪtəl/
B2
Anglais
~ 8200
halálos, végzetes, sorsszerű, végzetszerű
B2
1
halálos
A2
Schéma d’usage :
a fatal [injury/accident/disease/shooting]
He died in a fatal car crash on the highway.
Halálos autóbalesetben halt meg az autópályán.
Without quick treatment, the snakebite could have been fatal.
Gyors kezelés nélkül a kígyómarás halálos is lehetett volna.
The report found that a fatal error in the safety system caused the explosion.
Doctors say the disease is rarely fatal if caught early.
Two hikers suffered fatal injuries after falling from the cliff.
Exemples pédagogiques
He was in a fatal accident last year.
Tavaly halálos balesetet szenvedett.
The doctor said the wound could be fatal.
Az orvos azt mondta, hogy a seb halálos lehet.
This virus is often fatal for small children.
One person had a fatal injury in the fire.
Without water, the situation became fatal for the animals.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse "fatal" with "fetal" (about babies before birth); they are completely different words. Another mistake is using "fatal" for non-serious things, like *"a fatal headache"* or *"a fatal cold"* when no one dies; use "bad" or "serious" instead. Also, remember that "fatal" normally describes the injury/illness/accident, not the person: say "a fatal injury" or "a fatal accident", not *"he is fatal"*.
Sens
causing death; deadly
Collocations
fatal accident
|fatal injury
|fatal disease
|fatal shooting
|fatal wound
|almost fatal
Synonymes
deadly (Very close in meaning, but slightly more informal and often used more broadly, not only about people dying.)
Antonymes
non-fatal (Used especially in medical or news contexts to say that an injury or incident did not cause death.)
Thèmes
health
|accidents
|law
|safety
|core_vocabulary
Définition
Causing a person or animal to die, or sure to make them die.
Causing death, or certain to cause death.
B2
2
végzetes
B2
Schéma d’usage :
a fatal [mistake/flaw/error/weakness] (for/to [something])
His decision to ignore the warning was a fatal mistake for the project.
Az a döntése, hogy figyelmen kívül hagyta a figyelmeztetést, végzetes hiba volt a projekt számára.
A single typo in the contract turned out to be fatal to their case.
A szerződésben lévő egyetlen elütés végzetesnek bizonyult az ügyükre nézve.
The product had a fatal flaw that made it impossible to sell.
Her lack of preparation proved fatal to her chances of passing the exam.
That comment was fatal to his relationship with the team.
Exemples pédagogiques
A small lie can be fatal to trust.
Egy apró hazugság végzetes lehet a bizalomra nézve.
One big mistake was fatal to their plan.
Egyetlen nagy hiba végzetesnek bizonyult a tervük számára.
Her fear of change was fatal to the new business.
This problem could be fatal for the company.
His late goal was fatal to our chances to win.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes overuse "fatal" for any mistake, even small or everyday ones, like *"I made a fatal spelling mistake in my email"*. Use "small", "minor", or "silly" for ordinary mistakes; reserve "fatal" for errors that destroy a plan, chance, or relationship.
Sens
causing complete failure or ruin
Collocations
fatal mistake
|fatal flaw
|fatal weakness
|fatal error
|prove fatal to [plans/chances]
|fatal to our chances
Synonymes
disastrous (Stresses very bad results or failure; does not carry the literal 'death' idea that "fatal" can suggest.)
Antonymes
harmless (Describes an action or mistake that does not cause serious damage or failure.)
Thèmes
work
|problems
|education
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Définition
So serious and bad that it destroys a plan, chance, or situation.
Extremely serious in a way that causes complete failure, ruin, or the end of something.
C1
LITERARY
3
sorsszerű
C1
végzetszerű
C1
Schéma d’usage :
a fatal [meeting/decision/attraction] between [people]
Their fatal meeting on that rainy night changed both their lives forever.
Azon az esős éjszakán történt sorsszerű találkozásuk örökre megváltoztatta mindkettőjük életét.
He believed it was a fatal love, written in the stars long before they were born.
Úgy hitte, ez sorsszerű szerelem, amelyet már jóval a születésük előtt megírtak a csillagok.
The novel tells the story of a fatal attraction that draws two strangers together.
She saw their encounter as a fatal sign that destiny wanted them to be together.
In the play, the hero cannot escape his fatal destiny.
Exemples pédagogiques
In the story, a fatal meeting starts the tragedy.
A történetben egy sorsszerű találkozás indítja el a tragédiát.
He thinks their love is fatal and cannot be changed.
Úgy gondolja, hogy a szerelmük sorsszerű, és ezen nem lehet változtatni.
The book is about a fatal attraction between two people.
The hero tries to run from his fatal destiny.
She feels a fatal pull toward him in the film.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this literary, 'fate' meaning with the common 'causing death' meaning. In most modern everyday speech and news, "fatal" almost always means 'causing death', not 'decided by fate'. For the 'fate' idea in neutral style, "fateful" is usually a better choice.
Sens
decided by fate or destiny
Collocations
fatal meeting
|fatal attraction
|fatal love
|fatal beauty
|fatal charm
Synonymes
fateful (Very similar, but more common today in this 'decided by fate' sense; "fatal" is more literary here.)
Antonymes
accidental (Suggests that something happened by chance, not because it was fixed by fate.)
Thèmes
literature
|relationships
|philosophy
|religion
|core_vocabulary
Définition
Fixed by fate and impossible to change, often with a sad or serious result.
Determined or controlled by fate, especially in a way that cannot be avoided.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
fatal
API
GB/fˈeɪtəl/
US/fˈeɪtəl/
Syllabes et accentuation
fatal (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (fatal)
Formes du mot
Adjective
- Base: fatal
Famille de mots
Expressions
be fatal to
1/bˈi fˈeɪtəl tə/
fixed phrase
cause the end or ruin of
To destroy something or make it fail completely.
Exemples
- This scandal could be fatal to his career.
- A drop in sales would be fatal to the small business.
- Such a result would be fatal to their hopes of promotion.
fatal attraction
1/fˈeɪtəl ətɹˈækʃən/
fixed phrase
literary
dangerous, destructive attraction
A very strong feeling of love or interest that brings serious trouble or even death.
Exemples
- The novel tells the story of a fatal attraction between two strangers.
- He feels a fatal attraction to risk and danger.
- Their relationship became a fatal attraction that destroyed them both.
fatal error
1/fˈeɪtəl ˈɛɹɚ/
fixed phrase
critical error that stops everything
A very serious error that makes a computer program, system, or process stop completely.
Exemples
- The installation failed because the program reported a fatal error.
- Users saw a message about a fatal error and had to restart the software.
- A fatal error in the code caused the website to crash.
fatal mistake
1/fˈeɪtəl mɪstˈeɪk/
fixed phrase
mistake that destroys success
A very serious mistake that destroys your plan, chance, or success.
Exemples
- Not checking the figures was a fatal mistake.
- Leaving the goalkeeper unmarked was a fatal mistake in the last minute.
- He later called his decision to lie a fatal mistake.
prove fatal
1/pɹˈuv fˈeɪtəl/
fixed phrase
turn out to cause death
To finally cause death or complete failure, after some time has passed.
Exemples
- Without medical help, the bite could prove fatal.
- The delay in calling the ambulance proved fatal.
- Ignoring these warnings may prove fatal in the long run.
fatal flaw
1/fˈeɪtəl flˈɔ/
fixed phrase
serious weakness that causes failure
A very serious weakness in a person, plan, or thing that finally makes it fail.
Exemples
- The software's fatal flaw was its lack of security features.
- The plan had one fatal flaw: it depended on perfect weather.
- His inability to listen to others proved to be his fatal flaw.
- His fatal flaw is that he never listens to advice.
- Critics say the law’s fatal flaw is that it is impossible to enforce.