tragic flaw

Definition of tragic flawnext

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of tragic flaw Transit improvements will also give many residents better opportunities for jobs, because transportation will not be their tragic flaw. Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2025 The diva must have great dignity, but also a tragic flaw. Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025 Many people think of parent-child relationships as the most formative ones—the source of attachment styles, daddy issues, tragic flaws. Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024 The political actors onstage in Milwaukee wore their tragic flaws on their sleeves. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023 Thomas is selfless and fearless in his quest to do good, but his tragic flaws of hubris, stubbornness and self-destructiveness become his undoing. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2023 That tendency toward self-critique may ultimately have been the tragic flaw of Menand’s midcentury creatives. Beverly Gage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021 And yet there remains an ineffable quality, especially in Aje — a placid dreamy blankness, inimitable, touching in its naiveté, and a tragic flaw all at once. Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragic flaw
Noun
  • Kennedy’s ruthlessness and ambition—which are treated as the Kennedys’ hamartia in Chappaquiddick—are swept under the rug of his compassion.
    Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 30 Apr. 2018
Noun
  • The Current seemed to retreat deep, and the header back into the soft spot of the Current’s defense found the foot of Kristen McNabb — who was one of three unmarked Wave players around the ball.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
  • There tend to be soft spots in the schedule, and early weekdays are always slow, anyhow.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Their win was a victory for method over the madness that always threatened to be Argentina’s undoing.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • By hiding violence inside a gift, Nolan suggests that Odysseus and his men lay the groundwork for humanity’s undoing.
    Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Tragic flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tragic%20flaw. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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