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

—H. 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

• deplorable
• distressful
• distressing
• grievous
• heartbreaking
• heartrending
• lamentable
• regrettable
• unfortunate
• unlucky
• woeful

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

Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident. —Phil Boucher, People.com, 27 Apr. 2025

Boca Bash drowning The 2018 Boca Bash turned tragic when 32-year-old Francis Roselin, of West Palm Beach, drowned. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025

And as tragic as that is, whatever caused the collapse of public trust in DC cinema, the result is the same. —Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025

If Beom-seok is the tragic character of Weak Hero Class 1, then Baek-jin is the tragic character of Weak Hero Class 2. —Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Apr. 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