tragic

adjective

trag·​ic ˈtra-jik 

variants or less commonly tragical

ˈtra-ji-kəl 

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.

—Harry S. Truman

3

a

: dealing with or treated in tragedy

the tragic hero

b

: appropriate to or typical of tragedy

tragically

ˈtra-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of tragic

• unfortunate

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

Alexander Davis, 34, of North Carolina, was a weapon systems officer for the 419th Flight Test Squadron, and had flown B-52 missions for years before the tragic crash that claimed his life. —Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

Oliver Tree's girlfriend is speaking out following his tragic death on Sunday. —Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026

Skydive Kansas City, the operator of the Pacific Aerospace P750 that crashed, issued a statement following the tragic event. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026

Emilie Kiser is opening up about her 3-year-old son's tragic death in depth for the first time. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin tragicus, from Greek tragikos, irregular from tragōidia tragedy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing tragic

• tragic flaw

Rhymes for tragic

• magic
• pelagic

Kids 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

tragically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb