tragic

adjective

trag·​ic ˈtra-jik How to pronounce tragic (audio)
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 bombH. S. Truman
3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
tragically adverb

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 a tragic irony, the reason was eventually traced back to an otherwise hugelysuccessful public-health program. Laura Paddison, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 Layne Staley’s haunting swan song Staley’s final years were, by all accounts, a tragic descent into addiction and depression. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 22 Mar. 2024 Mac Miller’s spirit remains strong, even six years after his tragic death. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 22 Mar. 2024 The tragic incident has sparked discussions about improving the handling of domestic violence cases in the city, with officials acknowledging the need for proactive measures to protect victims and prevent future tragedies. Melissa Noel, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024 The tragic assassination of his close friend, San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, occurred minutes after Willie Brown had left his office. James Richardson, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 In April 2022, Ronaldo and Rodriguez announced the tragic news in a heartbreaking post on social media. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Alex Proyas, who helmed the 1994 comic book adaptation, expressed his distaste for the reboot in a statement posted to social media Monday, citing the tragic death of original star Brandon Lee in an on-set accident. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 Her son and successor, Paul I, was perhaps one of Russia’s most controversial and tragic figures. E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024

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.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of tragic was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near tragic

Cite this Entry

“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tragic

adjective
trag·​ic ˈtraj-ik How to pronounce tragic (audio)
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 adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tragic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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