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—
H. S. Truman
H. 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
Mexicans mourned the deaths of two sailors while authorities in Mexico and New York worked to unravel the mystery of the tragic crash of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship into the Brooklyn Bridge.
—John Bacon, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The social media influencer shared an emotional Instagram video featuring her three-year-old son Trigg on Mother's Day, marking her last post with him before his tragic death on May 18 following a pool incident that occurred days prior.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 20 May 2025
The disappearance took a tragic turn when Ryan Kobayashi -- Hannah's father -- was discovered dead in a parking lot near LAX after traveling to Los Angeles to help find his daughter.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 20 May 2025
Listen to this article 3 min Sarah Silverman revealed a shocking family secret that her late father, Donald Silverman, once shared with her about her baby brother Jeffrey's tragic death.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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.
John Bacon, USA Today, 21 May 2025
The social media influencer shared an emotional Instagram video featuring her three-year-old son Trigg on Mother's Day, marking her last post with him before his tragic death on May 18 following a pool incident that occurred days prior.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 20 May 2025
The disappearance took a tragic turn when Ryan Kobayashi -- Hannah's father -- was discovered dead in a parking lot near LAX after traveling to Los Angeles to help find his daughter.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 20 May 2025
Listen to this article 3 min Sarah Silverman revealed a shocking family secret that her late father, Donald Silverman, once shared with her about her baby brother Jeffrey's tragic death.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 20 May 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 24 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share