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
The story can’t avoid its tragic ending, but Charlie’s Place emphasizes the hope born from Fitzgerald’s act of defiance.
—Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Rob and Michele Reiner’s death certificates have been released more than a week after their tragic murders.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 23 Dec. 2025
While a combination of battle, starvation, cold and a typhus epidemic were considered factors in the costly, tragic loss of hundreds of thousands of men, genetic evidence has suggested newfound culprits.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
Greg Biffle’s tragic death in a plane crash left the NASCAR world reeling last week, and former racing star Mark Martin appeared to still be in shock.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Benjamin Cannon, The Atlantic, 23 Dec. 2025
Rob and Michele Reiner’s death certificates have been released more than a week after their tragic murders.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 23 Dec. 2025
While a combination of battle, starvation, cold and a typhus epidemic were considered factors in the costly, tragic loss of hundreds of thousands of men, genetic evidence has suggested newfound culprits.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 23 Dec. 2025
Greg Biffle’s tragic death in a plane crash left the NASCAR world reeling last week, and former racing star Mark Martin appeared to still be in shock.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 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 27 Dec. 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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