tragic

adjective

trag·​ic ˈtra-jik How to pronounce tragic (audio)
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 bombH. S. Truman
3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
tragically adverb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Netflix's startling new true crime documentary delves into the tragic 2023 murder of Ajike Owens, a Black Florida woman, by Lorincz, her white neighbor. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025 The tragic story, which has been chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor, resulted in Lorincz being charged with manslaughter with a firearm. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025 Last week, following D’Angelo’s tragic passing, Tyler took to Instagram to pay tribute to the artist who had such an impact on his music early on — except, things quickly went haywire. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025 There’s a particularly tragic moment when Bruggelstein tells the story of his drunken father getting run over by a mower, which the young boy witnessed. Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tragic

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tragic was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

tragic

adjective
trag·​ic ˈtraj-ik How to pronounce tragic (audio)
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
tragically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on tragic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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