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
His murder and his wife of more than 35 years, Michele Singer Reiner's murder, are shocking and tragic.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
His murder and his wife of more than 35 years, Michele Singer Reiner’s murder, are shocking and tragic.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
When there's nothing more that can be done to help someone, the end result can often be tragic.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
But after the terrible news this past weekend, the horrifying Hanukkah massacre at Bondi Beach, the tragic shootings at Brown University and the heartbreaking deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, all of the major stories are too dark for that.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Dec. 2025
His murder and his wife of more than 35 years, Michele Singer Reiner’s murder, are shocking and tragic.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
When there's nothing more that can be done to help someone, the end result can often be tragic.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
But after the terrible news this past weekend, the horrifying Hanukkah massacre at Bondi Beach, the tragic shootings at Brown University and the heartbreaking deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, all of the major stories are too dark for that.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 16 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 19 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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