fatal
gb/fˈeɪtəl/ us/fˈeɪtəl/
B2
英语
~ 8200
义项
0 个义项
adjective
B2
property
1
causing death; deadly
Causing a person or animal to die, or sure to make them die.
用法模式：
a fatal [injury/accident/disease/shooting]
常见错误：
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"*.
近义词
deadly (Very close in meaning, but slightly more informal and often used more broadly, not only about people dying.)
反义词
non-fatal (Used especially in medical or news contexts to say that an injury or incident did not cause death.)
搭配
fatal accident
|fatal injury
|fatal disease
|fatal shooting
|fatal wound
|almost fatal
主题
health
|accidents
|law
|safety
|core_vocabulary
例句
- He died in a fatal car crash on the highway.
- Without quick treatment, the snakebite could have been fatal.
- 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.
学习者例句
- He was in a fatal accident last year.
- The doctor said the wound could be fatal.
- 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.
adjective
B2
property
2
causing complete failure or ruin
So serious and bad that it destroys a plan, chance, or situation.
用法模式：
a fatal [mistake/flaw/error/weakness] (for/to [something])
常见错误：
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.
近义词
disastrous (Stresses very bad results or failure; does not carry the literal 'death' idea that "fatal" can suggest.)
反义词
harmless (Describes an action or mistake that does not cause serious damage or failure.)
搭配
fatal mistake
|fatal flaw
|fatal weakness
|fatal error
|prove fatal to [plans/chances]
|fatal to our chances
主题
work
|problems
|education
|sports
|core_vocabulary
例句
- His decision to ignore the warning was a fatal mistake for the project.
- A single typo in the contract turned out to be fatal to their case.
- 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.
学习者例句
- A small lie can be fatal to trust.
- One big mistake was fatal to their plan.
- 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.
adjective
literary
C1
property
3
decided by fate or destiny
Fixed by fate and impossible to change, often with a sad or serious result.
用法模式：
a fatal [meeting/decision/attraction] between [people]
常见错误：
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.
近义词
fateful (Very similar, but more common today in this 'decided by fate' sense; "fatal" is more literary here.)
反义词
accidental (Suggests that something happened by chance, not because it was fixed by fate.)
搭配
fatal meeting
|fatal attraction
|fatal love
|fatal beauty
|fatal charm
主题
literature
|relationships
|philosophy
|religion
|core_vocabulary
例句
- Their fatal meeting on that rainy night changed both their lives forever.
- He believed it was a fatal love, written in the stars long before they were born.
- 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.
学习者例句
- In the story, a fatal meeting starts the tragedy.
- He thinks their love is fatal and cannot be changed.
- 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.
语法
词典原形
fatal
IPA
GB/fˈeɪtəl/
US/fˈeɪtəl/
音节与重音
fatal （1 个音节）
Stress on 1st syllable (fatal)
词形变化
Adjective
- Base: fatal
词族
相关表达
be fatal to
1/bˈi fˈeɪtəl tə/
fixed phrase
cause the end or ruin of
To destroy something or make it fail completely.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.
例句
- 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.