tragic

adjective trag·ic \ ˈtra-jik \

variants: or less commonly tragical play \ˈtra-ji-kəl\

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of tragic

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

3 a : dealing with or treated in tragedy

the tragic hero

b : appropriate to or typical of tragedy

—

tragically

play \ˈtra-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See tragic defined for English-language learners

See tragic defined for kids

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 of tragic from the Web

The school shooting could be particularly triggering for students nationally in light of the recent tragic shooting in Florida.

— Philly.com, "Talking to teens about the new season of 13 Reasons Why," 8 May 2018
Congress passes the bill shortly after the tragic mass shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.

— victoria rodriguez, Seventeen, "A Timeline of the Second Amendment and Gun Control in the U.S.," 17 Apr. 2018
McCreery was sporting a gold 851 pin on his lapel in honor of the 851 who were injured in the tragic shooting that happened at Route 91 Harvest music festival in October.

— rebecca schiller, Billboard, "Scotty McCreery Talks Vegas Shooting, New Album 'Seasons Change' & Upcoming Wedding: Watch," 16 Apr. 2018
And after the tragic shooting last summer, which left Scalise in critical condition for months, his triumphant recovery presented a comeback story Republicans could get behind when picking their next leader.

— tara golshan, Vox, "The race for the next leader of House Republicans is on," 13 Apr. 2018
While tragic, mass shootings accounted for less than 500 deaths in 2016 and 2017, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.

— Washington Post, "Red flag laws may prevent more suicides than mass shootings," 12 Apr. 2018
Since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, student Emma González has become a leading figure of the #NeverAgain movement.

— rachel epstein, Marie Claire, "Emma González Continues to Be the Voice Our Generation Needs," 12 Apr. 2018
On Friday afternoon, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s newsmagazine published its first printed work since the tragic school shooting on February 14: A memorial issue dedicated to the 17 students and staff who lost their lives.

— amanda arnold, The Cut, "Marjory Stoneman Douglas Newsmagazine Publishes Memorial Issue to Shooting Victims," 8 Apr. 2018
The March For Our Lives event and initiative was created by student activists in the wake of the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida that took 17 lives.

— kayleigh roberts, Marie Claire, "Miley Cyrus Delivered an Emotional Performance of "The Climb" at the March For Our Lives," 24 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tragic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tragic

Middle English, from Latin tragicus, from Greek tragikos, irregular from tragōidia tragedy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

tragic Synonyms

TRAGIC Defined for English Language Learners

tragic

adjective

Definition of tragic for English Language Learners

: causing strong feelings of sadness usually because someone has died in a way that seems very shocking, unfair, etc.
: involving very sad or serious topics : of or relating to tragedy