tragic irony

American  

noun

1. dramatic irony in tragic drama.

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tragic irony British  

noun

1. the use of dramatic irony in a tragedy (originally, in Greek tragedy), so that the audience is aware that a character's words or actions will bring about a tragic or fatal result, while the character himself is not

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Etymology

Origin of tragic irony

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tragic irony

It’s a cruel quirk of fate, or maybe just a tragic irony, that we are celebrating America’s semiquincentennial during one of the most surreal periods in American history.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

Nahran Omar highlights a tragic irony: The natural gas burned from the oil fields, if captured, could solve Iraq’s perennial electricity shortages and reduce pollution.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 24, 2023

Yet that same year, with tragic irony, more children ended up at risk of highly preventable infectious diseases than before the pandemic began.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 25, 2022

In a tragic irony, Heard’s movie career is also in limbo, as the industry tries to figure out what it, and the public, thinks about her.

From Slate ● May 27, 2022

I was haunted by the tragic irony that they felt I was their best hope for help.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson