Oedipus Rex

American  

noun

1. a tragedy (c430 b.c.) by Sophocles.

---

Oedipus Rex Cultural  

1. A tragedy by Sophocles that dramatizes the fall of Oedipus. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

---

Example Sentences

His big break came in 1965 when the composer Stravinsky asked him to sing his opera Oedipus Rex in Athens.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2025

Focused as it was on the inevitable downfall of a tragic hero in a plague-stricken city, "Oedipus Rex" must have been deeply disturbing, if not terrifying, to watch in the Athens of that moment.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2020

Like Oedipus in Oedipus Rex, Pericles’ intelligence failed to avert disaster.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2020

And there was plenty of Sophocles, specifically Oedipus Rex, as evidenced by the episode’s concern with whether a man is master of his destiny, or if his fate is predetermined, even from his birth.

From Time • Dec. 5, 2011

If you were unfamiliar with the story of Oedipus Rex and I simply said, “Sophocles play story kill Laius wife Jocasta wed Oedipus father mother,” you wouldn’t guess what happened in a million years.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker