hamartia

[ hah-mahr-tee-uh ]

See synonyms for hamartia on Thesaurus.com

noun

tragic flaw.

Origin of hamartia

First recorded in 1890–95; Greek hamartía “failure, fault,” derivative of hamartánein “to miss the mark, fail, err” + -ia noun suffix; see -ia

Words Nearby hamartia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hamartia in a sentence

hamartia means originally a 'bad shot' or 'error', but is currently used for 'offence' or 'sin'.
The Poetics | Aristotle
That is not unmotived, however; it is of Aspatia's own choosing and of Amintor's hamartia.
Francis Beaumont: Dramatist | Charles Mills Gayley
The pathetic devotion of Aspatia is essential to our understanding of Amintor's tragic weakness, his hamartia.
Francis Beaumont: Dramatist | Charles Mills Gayley

British Dictionary definitions for hamartia

hamartia

/ (həˈmɑːtɪə) /

noun

literature the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy

Origin of hamartia

C19: from Greek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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