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
In the long, tragic saga of this country’s relations with its first peoples, almost no federal entity has been more culpable than Interior.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
The Manchurian Candidate-esque, over-the-top comedy was unfortunately released on Sept. 28, 2001 — 17 days after the tragic events of 9/11 — and box office returns suffered as a result.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2024
Breaux was killed one year ago Saturday amid a series of stabbings called by the city as one of the most tragic moments in its history
.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
Martinez-Olivas’ brother, Guillermo Martinez, set up a GoFundMe following the tragic deaths for support for funeral services, which has raised over $18,000 as of Friday, April 26.
—Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
But what made that performance especially moving was the tragic juxtaposition of Saliers' words, desperately yearning for an unrequited love that will haunt and torment her, against the happily-ever-after suggested by such musical splendor.
—Journal Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2024
Duane Allman’s tragic death at 24 in an October 1971 motorcycle accident in Macon thrust Betts into a more prominent role in the group as songwriter, instrumentalist and sometime lead vocalist.
—Variety, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Tighter rules The tragic death of Jasmine Del Mar highlights the urgent need for enhanced legal protections and mental health resources for victims of domestic violence.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Fashion is tragic Most Popular At one point, Beckham lays bare one of fashion’s most uncomfortable truisms: that looking effortless is, in fact, code for ‘This outfit involved a lot of thought’.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
The Manchurian Candidate-esque, over-the-top comedy was unfortunately released on Sept. 28, 2001 — 17 days after the tragic events of 9/11 — and box office returns suffered as a result.
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 28 Apr. 2024
Breaux was killed one year ago Saturday amid a series of stabbings called by the city as one of the most tragic moments in its history
.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
Martinez-Olivas’ brother, Guillermo Martinez, set up a GoFundMe following the tragic deaths for support for funeral services, which has raised over $18,000 as of Friday, April 26.
—Danielle Jennings, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
But what made that performance especially moving was the tragic juxtaposition of Saliers' words, desperately yearning for an unrequited love that will haunt and torment her, against the happily-ever-after suggested by such musical splendor.
—Journal Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2024
Duane Allman’s tragic death at 24 in an October 1971 motorcycle accident in Macon thrust Betts into a more prominent role in the group as songwriter, instrumentalist and sometime lead vocalist.
—Variety, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Tighter rules The tragic death of Jasmine Del Mar highlights the urgent need for enhanced legal protections and mental health resources for victims of domestic violence.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Fashion is tragic Most Popular At one point, Beckham lays bare one of fashion’s most uncomfortable truisms: that looking effortless is, in fact, code for ‘This outfit involved a lot of thought’.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 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 2 May. 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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