variants
or less commonly tragical
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—
H. S. Truman
H. S. Truman3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
Synonyms
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
Stories of David Ortiz immigrating from the Dominican Republic and turning into the voice of his city after the tragic Boston Marathon shooting of 2013.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Keera and her friends find themselves up against Damien’s forces in an epic final battle that might also have tragic consequences.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Travis Scott is still entrenched in the litigation surrounding the tragic 2021 Astroworld Festival, but last week his legal team requested in Houston court that he be dismissed from the sprawling lawsuits.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The cities that Native Americans left behind during the Little Ice Age—ruins such as those at Chaco Canyon and Cahokia—led European explorers and modern archaeologists alike to imagine societal collapse and the tragic loss of a golden age.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
In addition to the tragic toll on human life, the collapse of the bridge has also spurred untold financial damages.
—Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Reportedly Zendaya herself had a lot of input as to where the show would go, which had to do an overhaul for season 3 after the tragic death of Angus Cloud, who was heavily featured in the first concept for the season.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
His research, released before the tragic 2021 collapse, initially led some to believe that sinking earth could have played a role in the disaster, but the investigation has so far not pointed to land change as a culprit.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
Keera and her friends find themselves up against Damien’s forces in an epic final battle that might also have tragic consequences.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Travis Scott is still entrenched in the litigation surrounding the tragic 2021 Astroworld Festival, but last week his legal team requested in Houston court that he be dismissed from the sprawling lawsuits.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
The cities that Native Americans left behind during the Little Ice Age—ruins such as those at Chaco Canyon and Cahokia—led European explorers and modern archaeologists alike to imagine societal collapse and the tragic loss of a golden age.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
In addition to the tragic toll on human life, the collapse of the bridge has also spurred untold financial damages.
—Lucas Ropek / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Reportedly Zendaya herself had a lot of input as to where the show would go, which had to do an overhaul for season 3 after the tragic death of Angus Cloud, who was heavily featured in the first concept for the season.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
His research, released before the tragic 2021 collapse, initially led some to believe that sinking earth could have played a role in the disaster, but the investigation has so far not pointed to land change as a culprit.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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