French word

fatalité

Pronunciation

IPA/fatalite/

Meaning

  • feminine nounfate

Example

On n'y peut rien, c'est la fatalité.

There is nothing we can do about it; it's fate.

Illustration for fatalité (fate)

More examples

Elle a fini par accepter la fatalité.

She eventually accepted fate.

Core concept

An unavoidable outcome that seems fixed before events unfold.

Common phrases

  • accepter la fatalité

    accept fate

  • céder à la fatalité

    yield to fate

Similar words

destin: The belief that life's broad course and major events are predetermined.
destinée: A future outcome regarded as predetermined for a person or thing.
sort: An unavoidable fate or fateful turn of events that befalls someone.
inévitabilité: The quality of being impossible to avoid.

Definition in French

Caractère d'un fait qui apparaît comme inévitable, considéré comme décidé à l'avance.

Word origin

Fatalité comes from Latin fatum, meaning what has been spoken or decreed, through fatalis and French formation with -ité.

Usage tips

  • Fatalité is feminine and usually carries a weighty, philosophical tone; everyday resignation often uses c'est la vie or tant pis instead.

Other meanings

  • inevitabilitynoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word