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 Both inside and outside the country, many citizens believe the authorities have responded too slowly and failed to adequately address the tragedy, a criticism Rodríguez firmly rejects. — Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 8 July 2026 Toronto Blue Jays star reliever Braydon Fisher has returned to the team after a heartbreaking family tragedy. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Scott’s meteoric career has been marked by enormous success as well as tragedy and controversy. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 July 2026 Neighbors who know the Oswalds declined to comment, citing the family’s silence on the tragedy. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 8 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
  • Modern networks are more resilient in disasters, an AT&T spokesman said, because they can be restored faster and are less vulnerable to damage and copper theft.
    — Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Burnham launched a government inquiry that found police failures, not the victims themselves, were responsible for the disaster.
    — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 9 July 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • This is the idea — which is debated online — that men who date women from the Kardashian/Jenner family often face personal or professional misfortune.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
  • Hell House takes its time spinning the tale of misfortune that befalls the central investigators.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
Definition of misfortune
Noun
  • In the work of fiction, the ship is taken over to prevent catastrophe.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 July 2026
  • The young girls are referred to as Heaven’s 27 by their surviving families, who are determined to honor their legacy by ensuring such a catastrophe never happens again.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • To say everything went wrong would be to undersell the scope of the calamity.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026
  • The operation was a testament to the growing effectiveness of a multinational collection of urban search-and-rescue squads — known as USAR — that have become ubiquitous life-savers at epicenters of calamity across the globe.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of calamity
Noun
  • The same year, another, longer-running TV version focused on the story of survivors after an alien apocalypse that had wiped out most of the Earth's population.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 4 July 2026
  • Closing the Manhattan Bridge, diverting traffic, and managing the safety of staging a zombie apocalypse downtown required the cooperation and manpower of multiple agencies with their own sets of pressing priorities and responsibilities.
    — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 30 June 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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