tragedian

noun

tra·​ge·​di·​an trə-ˈjē-dē-ən How to pronounce tragedian (audio)
1
: a writer of tragedies
2
: an actor specializing in tragic roles

Examples of tragedian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the play, written by the ancient Greek tragedian circa 420 BC, Elektra, haunted by her father’s assassination, is consumed by grief; a need for survival; and a thirst for vengeance. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 Sep. 2024 The archaic poet Sappho, from the island of Lesbos, showed the vitality of desire for other women, while the playwright Aristophanes (the very one featured in Plato’s Symposium) presented the tragedian Agathon seeking to understand the experience of women by dressing like one. Sarah Nooter / Made By History, TIME, 9 Sep. 2024 Among the tragedians, there are extant works from only three: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Teju Cole, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023 Above the minotaur, ancient Greek tragedians are painted on the wall—Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus. Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023 Based on the Greek tragedian Euripides’s tale of Medea, the opera is centered on a scorned Medea whose thirst for vengeance can only be quenched with murder. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2022 No actor has ever emerged as fully formed, as original and with such unique timing as Streisand does here, gracefully blending romantic lead with outrageous clown, Broadway belter and heartbreaking tragedian. Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune, 18 Nov. 2020 The judge was quoting words written by Aeschylus, a Greek tragedian who lived around 500 B.C. John R. Ellement, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Dec. 2022 Just as the Greek tragedian zeroed in on moments of choice and free will in the plots of characters circumscribed by fate, so Giddens and Abels look for moments of freedom in the lives of characters denied this basic human right. Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragedian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tragedien, from Middle French, from tragedie

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tragedian was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near tragedian

Cite this Entry

“Tragedian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragedian. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

tragedian

noun
tra·​ge·​di·​an trə-ˈjēd-ē-ən How to pronounce tragedian (audio)
1
: a writer of tragedies
2
: an actor of tragic roles

More from Merriam-Webster on tragedian

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