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 Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is designed as an action flick as well as a portrait of a family dealing with tragedy and an insider’s look at an insular community that mocks harmful stereotypes without perpetrating them. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 After the tragedy occurred, a family friend, Casey Bartels, created a GoFundMe on behalf of O’Brien and his family. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026 The tragedy is that the WNBA is sitting on an extraordinary opportunity. — Jonathan Flora Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 That this particular kind of writing — and of seeing and explaining the world to readers — is going away with Swed, is truly a tragedy. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tragedy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragedy
  1. disaster
  2. misfortune
  3. catastrophe
  4. calamity
  5. apocalypse
Noun
  • Although major questions remained unanswered on Thursday about the attacker and his motive, the story of ordinary passengers saving the FlyDubai flight from disaster has quickly become the stuff of legend.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Second were unarmed passengers who subdued the armed attacker before one pulled back on the yoke to level the aircraft, drawing on knowledge from an air-disaster documentary.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of disaster
Noun
  • Yet the melodrama of the Trask men—and the misfortune of the women who come into their lives—has seldom been brought to the screen, most likely because of the challenges posed by the saga’s narrative sprawl.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In the greatest misfortune of a very unlucky life, Fantine (Noémie Merlant) stops at the tavern the Thénardiers run on her way to Montreuil with her angelic daughter Cosette.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of misfortune
Noun
  • An institution built explicitly to neutralize biological catastrophes is now at the center of one.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With climate change making natural disasters far more frequent, some consumers are turning to smaller off-grid electric networks to generate power in the event of a catastrophe.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of catastrophe
Noun
  • The toxic loans were also packaged and peddled around the world to banks everywhere, resulting in a calamity.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • During each and every move, some sort of financial calamity resulted.
    — Sean Conlon, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of calamity
Noun
  • The film is a satire about an impending climate change apocalypse that’s triggered by the drilling operations of oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, played by Cruise, who looks nearly unrecognizable clad in prosthetics and graying hair.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In it, Cruise disappears behind makeup and prosthetics into the role of Texas oilman Digger Rockwell, whose company sparks an ecological disaster that could end in nuclear apocalypse.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 30 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2026.

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