tragic

adjective

trag·ic | \ ˈtra-jik

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

Definition of tragic

1a : 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

3a : dealing with or treated in tragedy the tragic hero

b : appropriate to or typical of tragedy

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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

Waymo Amidst stunning breakthroughs and tragic failures, for self-driving vehicles, 2018 was the year of yes, but... — Alissa Walker, Curbed, "The good, the bad, and the ugly of self-driving cars in 2018," 27 Dec. 2018 With the brain of a 65-year-old, his death serves as a tragic reminder that CTE is not limited to athletes who have played out their careers. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The Complete History of the Autopsy," 26 Dec. 2018 The writing and voice acting are movie-quality good, and the story’s tragic arc is engrossing to the end. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Ars Technica’s best games of 2018," 24 Dec. 2018 The two performed together at the One Love Manchester concert, a benefit that followed the tragic terrorist attack at Grande's concert in May 2017. — Krystin Arneson, Glamour, "Here's How Miley Cyrus Had Ariana Grande's Back After Her Split With Pete Davidson," 23 Dec. 2018 Getty ImagesMax Mumby/Indigo Yesterday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a private visit to the Hubb Community Kitchen, the home of Meghan's first charity initiative that supports victims of last summer's tragic Grenfell Tower fires. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Adele Joined Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Hubb Community Kitchen," 21 Dec. 2018 Frank Randall is perhaps Outlander's most tragic character. Expertly portrayed by actor Tobias Menzies, Frank is flawed and inextricably linked in the mind of the viewer to his sadistic ancestor, Black Jack Randall. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "What Tobias Menzies's Return to Outlander Reveals About Frank Randall," 17 Dec. 2018 As if that wasn't tragic enough, Benny passed away just minutes before Severide arrived at the hospital to say his final goodbyes. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "'Chicago Fire' Shocked Everyone With This Devastating Death," 5 Nov. 2018 Months after the tragic collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge that killed 43 people, the Italian city is making plans to replace it. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Renzo Piano reveals design to replace collapsed Genoa bridge," 21 Dec. 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.