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 bomb—
H. S. Truman
H. S. Truman3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
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 1949, investigations began searching for signs of Lowry and the tragic accident, but nothing was found, the BBC reported in September.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Its rice recipes are an important, and tragic, reminder that Africans were primarily brought to this region to exploit their prior expertise with African rice to farm an Asian variety that would later be nicknamed Carolina Gold because of its color and economic value.
—Adrian Miller, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
There were too many of the bulky, sweet styrofoam mochi waffle crisps and not enough seaweed/salty furikake, and the errant corn chips (faux-Fritos) and wasabi peas were in tragic shortage.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Taken together, these triumphal and tragic elements constitute the ingredients for an epic historical narrative that defies all moralistic categories, a story rooted in the coexistence of grandeur and failure, brilliance and blindness, grace and sin.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
Its rice recipes are an important, and tragic, reminder that Africans were primarily brought to this region to exploit their prior expertise with African rice to farm an Asian variety that would later be nicknamed Carolina Gold because of its color and economic value.
—Adrian Miller, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025
There were too many of the bulky, sweet styrofoam mochi waffle crisps and not enough seaweed/salty furikake, and the errant corn chips (faux-Fritos) and wasabi peas were in tragic shortage.
—Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tragic
adjective
trag·ic
ˈtraj-ik 
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
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