tragicomic
adjective
tragi·com·ic
ˌtra-ji-ˈkä-mik 
variants
or less commonly tragicomical
1
: of, relating to, or resembling tragicomedy
2
: manifesting both tragic and comic aspects
Examples of tragicomic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Albee’s Tony Award-winning play is a work of tragicomic psychological realism embedded in verbal hand grenades.
—
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 Feb. 2026
The story follows a young girl (Banin Ahmad Nayef) who is chosen to bake a special cake to celebrate the birthday of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, setting her on a tragicomic journey to see through the task.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Dell, the narrator of this tragicomic novel, lives in a tiny apartment that used to be a walk-in closet.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
However, the real ineptitude occurs a little earlier when River interprets a fight that Gimball has with Jaffrey’s chief of staff, Tyson Bowman (Abraham Popoola), as a physical attack and inserts himself into the scene, setting off this tragicomic series of events.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragicomic
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.
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 13 Feb. 2026
The story follows a young girl (Banin Ahmad Nayef) who is chosen to bake a special cake to celebrate the birthday of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, setting her on a tragicomic journey to see through the task.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Dell, the narrator of this tragicomic novel, lives in a tiny apartment that used to be a walk-in closet.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
However, the real ineptitude occurs a little earlier when River interprets a fight that Gimball has with Jaffrey’s chief of staff, Tyson Bowman (Abraham Popoola), as a physical attack and inserts himself into the scene, setting off this tragicomic series of events.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragicomic
Cite this Entry
“Tragicomic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragicomic. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
