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
Based on the 1995 novel by Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic follows the witchy women of the Owens’ family, whose heartbroken ancestor cursed their bloodline so that any man who falls in love with an Owens woman dies a tragic death.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
But the lead genealogist on Joan Nathan’s case, Moriah Amit, found additional information and documents that filled in some blanks on the Bernheim family, and helped fit the family into that tragic part of German-Jewish history.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
But even though abusive relationships tend to form tragic patterns, honesty isn’t all that’s necessary for a good narrative, and this one proves repetitive.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Community and school react to tragic shooting A neighbor said the Velasquez family moved into the home more than a year ago.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Glenn Garner, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2026
But the lead genealogist on Joan Nathan’s case, Moriah Amit, found additional information and documents that filled in some blanks on the Bernheim family, and helped fit the family into that tragic part of German-Jewish history.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
But even though abusive relationships tend to form tragic patterns, honesty isn’t all that’s necessary for a good narrative, and this one proves repetitive.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Community and school react to tragic shooting A neighbor said the Velasquez family moved into the home more than a year ago.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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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