1
as in disasters
a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction
the earthquake and the ensuing damage was the worst tragedy to ever befall the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misfortunes
bad luck or an example of this
it's the tragedy of many great artists not to be recognized for their genius until after they're dead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of tragedies
Given that these tragedies still happen all the time (there have been 400 school shootings in America over the last 10 years), the subject remains so loaded, and so wounding, that the handling of it requires extreme sensitivity and intelligence — qualities that Sundance stands for.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis is far from alone in navigating high-profile events and bearing scars from multiple tragedies past.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
Pushing through or delaying care is how tragedies happen.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The Lost Tapes grants viewers a glimpse into that life through Taylor’s candid reflections on it all—the romances, the tragedies, the opulence, and the scandals.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Now, traffic safety advocates are launching an effort to try and prevent more tragedies as part of the annual Passenger Safety Week.
—James Taylor, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Despite this—and despite the tragedies the family bears some responsibility for, like Chappaquiddick and Rosemary’s lobotomy—the Kennedy family’s legacy has stretched far beyond the thousand-odd days JFK served as the nation’s youngest president.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
While no one action will prevent all these tragedies, becoming a messenger of peace will help.
—William Lambers, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Stopping winter tragedies involves a practical plan that stretches well beyond just hope or wishful thinking.
—Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Minneapolis is far from alone in navigating high-profile events and bearing scars from multiple tragedies past.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
Pushing through or delaying care is how tragedies happen.
—Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The Lost Tapes grants viewers a glimpse into that life through Taylor’s candid reflections on it all—the romances, the tragedies, the opulence, and the scandals.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 21 Jan. 2026
Now, traffic safety advocates are launching an effort to try and prevent more tragedies as part of the annual Passenger Safety Week.
—James Taylor, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Despite this—and despite the tragedies the family bears some responsibility for, like Chappaquiddick and Rosemary’s lobotomy—the Kennedy family’s legacy has stretched far beyond the thousand-odd days JFK served as the nation’s youngest president.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 20 Jan. 2026
While no one action will prevent all these tragedies, becoming a messenger of peace will help.
—William Lambers, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Stopping winter tragedies involves a practical plan that stretches well beyond just hope or wishful thinking.
—Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragedies
Noun
-
An extended shutdown could put more pressure on that fund, especially if FEMA must respond to new disasters.—
Meg Kinnard,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And more extreme weather means costlier disasters for American communities, from tracking warning signs to running clean up in the aftermath.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Embodying a character as evil as Stephen has made the far more relaxed White—whose real-life mother, Katey Sagal, plays his character’s troubled mother on the series—relish the character’s small misfortunes.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
20 Jan. 2026
-
What traits, decisions, or misfortunes exceed a person’s jurisdiction?—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, within resources available, countries can build disaster and health response capabilities to mitigate physical and biological catastrophes.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026
-
An observer of catastrophes, come what may.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The calamities of war shuttered many of the earliest kissa, as entire collections of jazz records were lost.—
Nneka M. Okona,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Jan. 2026
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But even if all those calamities come to pass, hey, Thomas still loves his partner.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Based on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, the surrealist musical follows one nuclear family across thousands of years and three apocalypses.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 Dec. 2025
-
And a lot of the pseudepigrapha, like the fake gospels and fake apocalypses, fill in gaps in the record that can serve latter-day, post-biblical purposes.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tragedies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tragedies. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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