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.—
Harry S. Truman
Harry 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
Ribeiro’s father never spoke about the difficult moments in his life as an immigrant in a tragic manner.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2026
For some, watching NASCAR put together a beautiful tribute to the driver last weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 was just the type of thing needed to help the sport get through the days following the tragic news.
—Trey Wallace, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026
In 2024, his daughter Tom Nesher’s directorial debut Come Closer, which was based on the tragic death of her brother and Avi Nesher’s son Ari, represented Israel at the Oscars.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 May 2026
The three stories wind around one another, grappling with repression and shame and death and art and love, in ways both poetically beautiful and tragic.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2026
For some, watching NASCAR put together a beautiful tribute to the driver last weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 was just the type of thing needed to help the sport get through the days following the tragic news.
—Trey Wallace, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026
In 2024, his daughter Tom Nesher’s directorial debut Come Closer, which was based on the tragic death of her brother and Avi Nesher’s son Ari, represented Israel at the Oscars.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 May 2026
The three stories wind around one another, grappling with repression and shame and death and art and love, in ways both poetically beautiful and tragic.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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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