variants
or less commonly tragical
1
a
: regrettably serious or unpleasant : deplorable, lamentable
a tragic mistake
b
: marked by a sense of tragedy
2
: of, marked by, or expressive of tragedy
the tragic significance of the atomic bomb—
H. S. Truman
H. S. Truman3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
Synonyms
Examples of tragic in a Sentence
Their deaths were tragic and untimely.
They both died in a tragic car accident.
Romeo and Juliet's tragic love affair.
We saw a tragic play about a man with AIDS.
the tragic characters of her novel
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to Josh’s tragic death, Apkaw was also fatally injured on Saturday morning.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 5 June 2024
For Israeli Jewish citizens, the times move intensely from Passover, the holiday of freedom; to tragic Holocaust Memorial Day; to Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror; to the triumphant celebrations of Independence Day; to the anniversary of the Six Days War.
—Eetta Prince-Gibson, TIME, 4 June 2024
Despite the tragic outcome, both Clark and Levi's mother were in awe of the community response to the boy's situation.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 4 June 2024
The Eagle man’s disappearance was the third tragic accident in the Payette in a week’s span.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragic 
Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 5 June 2024
For Israeli Jewish citizens, the times move intensely from Passover, the holiday of freedom; to tragic Holocaust Memorial Day; to Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror; to the triumphant celebrations of Independence Day; to the anniversary of the Six Days War.
—Eetta Prince-Gibson, TIME, 4 June 2024
Despite the tragic outcome, both Clark and Levi's mother were in awe of the community response to the boy's situation.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 4 June 2024
The Eagle man’s disappearance was the third tragic accident in the Payette in a week’s span.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tragic
adjective
trag·ic
ˈtraj-ik 
1
: of, marked by, or expressive of tragedy
2
: dealing with or appearing in tragedy
a tragic hero
3
: very unfortunate : deplorable
a tragic mistake
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