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
After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.
—
Jason Phillips, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
For some people within the agency, the multiple safety reviews for NASA missions are a necessary safeguard after the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
The Iron Claw A24's 2023 sports drama chronicles the real-life saga of the Von Erich brothers, who body-slammed their way into professional wrestling esteem in the 1980s while shouldering multiple family tragedies and the burden of their father's (Holt McCallany) towering legacy in the ring.
—Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Evans has blocked court transparency efforts, and lawsuits and tragedies have resulted.
—Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Advertisement The impacts of Hurricane Katrina were deeply unequal on a scale unseen in prior tragedies, vividly demonstrating how inequities, including along lines of race and income, amplify disaster impacts and shape the disaster response and recovery process.
—Manann Donoghoe, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Violence was entrenched as a byproduct of a government that ignored the tragedies faced by those like Shirley Vasquez and her neighbors.
—Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025
In 1997, Peart was hit with the first of a double blast of tragedies.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Jason Phillips, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
For some people within the agency, the multiple safety reviews for NASA missions are a necessary safeguard after the space shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
The Iron Claw A24's 2023 sports drama chronicles the real-life saga of the Von Erich brothers, who body-slammed their way into professional wrestling esteem in the 1980s while shouldering multiple family tragedies and the burden of their father's (Holt McCallany) towering legacy in the ring.
—Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Evans has blocked court transparency efforts, and lawsuits and tragedies have resulted.
—Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Advertisement The impacts of Hurricane Katrina were deeply unequal on a scale unseen in prior tragedies, vividly demonstrating how inequities, including along lines of race and income, amplify disaster impacts and shape the disaster response and recovery process.
—Manann Donoghoe, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
Violence was entrenched as a byproduct of a government that ignored the tragedies faced by those like Shirley Vasquez and her neighbors.
—Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025
In 1997, Peart was hit with the first of a double blast of tragedies.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragedies
Noun
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On Tuesday, 85 scientists released a 459-page rebuttal to the DOE report, highlighting a large body of scientific literature pointing to how climate change can exacerbate droughts, floods, crop failures, and other disasters.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
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Greengrass viewed the story of The Lost Bus through a similar lens, following a micro, primal cinematic story of survival that was ultimately about what these disasters mean on a macro level.—
Tomris Laffly,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But since June 13th—also the date when the Mets’ major misfortunes began—the Yankees have had a losing record, and have tumbled out of first place.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2025
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But as much as Nashville artists love to dissect their misfortunes in song, Monroe has gone in almost the opposite direction with her latest project.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Families that embrace this mindset see setbacks not as catastrophes but as tuition.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The story grabbed him thematically too, given the increasing devastation caused by wildfires and other environmental catastrophes.—
Tomris Laffly,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The audience for 2025’s reel of zombie apocalypses lives in a world shaped, in part, by Americans’ refusal to accept an aging Joe Biden’s ineligibility for President.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Levine Cava bristled, saying the only money left to fund the choppers would be the county’s emergency fund — dollars reserved for hurricanes or other calamities.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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The waves of our joys and calamities, both collective and personal, lap on the same shore, one after another, crashing over one another without pause.—
Michael Jerome Plunkett
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tragedies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tragedies. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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