tragedy

noun

ˈtra-jə-dē How to pronounce tragedy (audio)
Definition of tragedynext
1
as in disaster
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction the earthquake and the ensuing damage was the worst tragedy to ever befall the city

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2
as in misfortune
bad luck or an example of this it's the tragedy of many great artists not to be recognized for their genius until after they're dead

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tragedy Tamas locates its tragedy not only in violence and displacement but also in the speed with which neighbors become enemies while those who engineer communal hatred remain insulated from the suffering that follows. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026 Care will be in shorter supply, travel distances will stretch farther, and high-risk situations will more likely result in tragedy. — Keith Humphreys, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 But the filmmakers hoped to focus on the resilience and unsung work of the county employees — not just the tragedy. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 The tragedy sparked a broader conversation online, with survivors of domestic abuse and supporters of Gilson pushing back at the misconceptions victims often face in unhealthy or dangerous relationships. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for tragedy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragedy
  1. disaster
  2. misfortune
  3. catastrophe
  4. calamity
  5. apocalypse
Noun
  • Established by Congress in 1990, TPS gives temporary protection to people who don’t feel safe returning to countries plagued by disaster or armed conflict such as El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 30 July 2026
  • That was, frankly, ridiculous, and our coverage said as much, arguing that this deep dive into one of Hollywood’s most notorious genre disasters deserved a much wider release.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • That 1982 campaign was typical of the misfortune that plagued Keegan’s international career.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • Deer-Proof Your Garden To keep your flowers from being gobbled up by deer—one of the most heartbreaking of all garden misfortunes—choose flowers that people find glorious and deer find disgusting.
    — Mary Alice Russell, Southern Living, 13 July 2026
Definition of misfortune
Noun
  • California suffered a near catastrophe on pension debt during the great recession.
    — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 25 July 2026
  • Members are also holding weekly evening vigils at the parish to draw attention to this latest Eastside environmental catastrophe.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • At the heart of the celebration is Kyoto’s Yasaka Shrine, a Shinto site whose principal deity has long been revered as a protector against calamities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 July 2026
  • With one day to go, DeChambeau’s week has been an electric circus of golf-adjacent calamity.
    — Justin Ray, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of calamity
Noun
  • Long before OpenAI broke out of its test corral and hacked into Hugging Face, before the internet and Sam Altman were even born, Cameron wrote a screenplay about an autonomous artificial intelligence system that triggers a nuclear apocalypse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
  • The simulator has options such as target practice, zombie apocalypse and even real-life self-defense scenarios.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
Definition of apocalypse

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tragedies
tragedy
tragic
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Cite this Entry

“Tragedy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tragedy. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of tragedy for Spanish Speakers

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