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

On Saturday, the rapper's 26-year-old daughter Cori announced the tragic passing of her 10-month-old daughter, Codi. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 1 Feb. 2026

This brings the note of tragic kingship. —Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026

Earlier that day, Cori announced the tragic news that her 10-month-old daughter Codi died on her Instagram Stories. —Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026

Americans have been roped even further into this dark, tragic story because of the president’s bizarre equivocation and emotional outbursts about it. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026

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