tragic

adjective

trag·​ic ˈtra-jik 

variants or less commonly tragical

ˈtra-ji-kəl 

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

3

a

: dealing with or treated in tragedy

the tragic hero

b

: appropriate to or typical of tragedy

tragically

ˈtra-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of tragic

• unfortunate

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

Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson still wonder if their father, former teen idol Ricky Nelson, had a premonition before his tragic demise. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025

The tragic circumstances of her death didn't stop her from becoming tabloid fodder. —Jay Stahl, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025

Two other shuttles, Challenger and Columbia, were lost in tragic space accidents in 1986 and 2003, respectively. —Tariq Malik, Space.com, 31 Dec. 2025

Eric Tennant, a cancer patient from West Virginia, was one of those, but for him, the consequences were tragic. —Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 30 Dec. 2025

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

Phrases Containing tragic

• tragic flaw

Rhymes for tragic

• magic
• pelagic

Kids 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

tragically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb