tragicomedy

noun

tragi·​com·​e·​dy ˌtra-ji-ˈkä-mə-dē 

: a drama or a situation blending tragic and comic elements

Examples of tragicomedy in a Sentence

The play is a tragicomedy about a man's search for love.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film is a tragicomedy following the family of a teenage YouTuber who posts an irreverent video lampooning a megachurch pastor in defense of his gay twin brother. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024

After his breakout role in the German tragicomedy Good Bye, Lenin! —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024

The series, described as a mix of tragicomedy and science fiction horror, follows a TV personality whose trash-TV career is going downhill and returns home to her Swabian village with the idea of creating a reality TV show. —Ed Meza, Variety, 20 Feb. 2024

Directed by Ruby Sparks (2012) and Fleishman Is in Trouble duo, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, this road trip tragicomedy tackles weighty subjects like mental illness and addiction, all while crafting a tender tale of unity rarely witnessed on a glitzy pageant stage. —James Mercadante and Kelsie Calderon, EW.com, 19 Sep. 2023

But this long-running saga (now bordering on a tragicomedy) is finally winding towards the grand finale, as the Disney Annual Meeting approaches in early April. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024

An unusual play in Spain’s current movie panorama, a satirical tragicomedy set in post Civil War 1945 as the Spanish resistance takes over a mail office in the Pyrenees. —Pablo Sandoval, Variety, 19 Apr. 2023

At the outset, there is tragicomedy in the hero’s blunders, his lively banter with Ed and his banal exchanges with UPS driver Molly. —Malcolm Forbes, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023

Localizing movie genres, while having a tragicomedy perspective on social issues, has always been my favorite approach to making films. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle French tragicomedie, from Old Italian tragicomedia, from Old Spanish, from Latin tragicomoedia, from tragicus + comoedia comedy

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tragicomedy

noun

tragi·​com·​edy

ˌtraj-i-ˈkäm-əd-ē

: a play or situation which blends tragic and comic elements

tragicomic

-ˈkäm-ik

adjective

also tragicomical

-i-kəl