tragedy

noun

trag·​e·​dy ˈtra-jə-dē How to pronounce tragedy (audio)
plural tragedies
1
a
: a disastrous event : calamity
2
a
: a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror
b
: the literary genre of tragic dramas
c
: a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man
3
: tragic quality or element

Examples of tragedy in a Sentence

Her son's death was a terrible tragedy. The situation ended in tragedy when the gunman shot and killed two students. The biggest tragedy here is that the accident could have easily been prevented. “Hamlet” is one of Shakespeare's best-known tragedies. The students are studying Greek tragedy. an actor who is drawn to tragedy
Recent Examples on the Web That his trauma, tragedy, human experience — there’s some flowers growing because of it. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Over the last seven years, the story of Grande’s public life has included footnotes of tragedy and loss, which found its way into her music with the arrival of Sweetener in 2018. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2024 Lulu Wang: Expats is an intersection of three American women and many other people around them who are all affected by one event, one life-changing tragedy that ripples throughout this community. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024 The ensuing fallout unravels like (and is loosely inspired by) a Greek tragedy, where carnage is inevitable and the players are powerless. Allaire Nuss, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 Last Thursday, at least 118 people were killed while trying to access food aid in Gaza City in one of the worst single tragedies of the war so far. Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 End of carousel Director Séamus Miller’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy imagines its title character, channeled by James Finley, as a figure in an action-adventure video game. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The reality star, who shared two children with Gutierrez, was moving an ATV from one parking spot to another in front of his home in Boone, North Carolina on Feb. 28 when the tragedy happened, his mother, Mary Hobbs, told The U.S. Sun. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Antonoff says that for years the enormity of Sarah’s death led him to conclude that anything going wrong in his life — anger, anxiety, panic attacks — was a result of that tragedy. Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragedy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tragedie, from Middle French, from Latin tragoedia, from Greek tragōidia, from tragos goat (akin to Greek trōgein to gnaw) + aeidein to sing — more at troglodyte, ode

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2c

Time Traveler
The first known use of tragedy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tragedy

Cite this Entry

“Tragedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragedy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tragedy

noun
trag·​e·​dy ˈtraj-əd-ē How to pronounce tragedy (audio)
plural tragedies
1
: a serious drama with a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion
2
: a disastrous event
Etymology

Middle English tragedie "tragedy as a drama," from early French tragedie (same meaning), from Latin tragoedia (same meaning), from Greek tragōidia "a drama about the misfortunes of heroes," literally "goat song," from tragos "goat" and aeidein "to sing"

Word Origin
Tragedy as a form of drama began in ancient Greece. It developed from the public performances of songs and dances at religious festivals. These festivals were held in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. The Greeks called these performances tragōidia, which meant literally "goat song." The word came from tragos, meaning "goat" and aeidein, meaning "to sing." These performances were at first given by a chorus. Later, however, it became popular to have one member of the chorus stand apart from the others and give a spoken introduction to or interpretation of the story. This speaker soon took over a larger and larger role in the performances. In time, this person was joined by more speakers until the dramas came to be like our modern plays with many parts acted out. It is not certain why these performances were named with a word for "goat." One explanation is that a goat was given as a prize to the person presenting the best drama. Another is that the goat was sacred to the god Dionysus and was sacrificed to him at these festivals. The early tragedies were stories of the misfortunes of heroes of legend or history, and that idea of misfortune carries on today in the common meaning of our word tragedy.

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