tragedy

American  

[traj-i-dee] / ˈtrædʒ ɪ di /

noun

• tragedies
  plural

1. a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster.

   stunned by the tragedy of so many deaths.

2. a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically involving a great person destined to experience downfall or utter destruction, as through a character flaw or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or an unyielding society.

3. the branch of the drama that is concerned with this form of composition.

4. the art and theory of writing and producing tragedies.

5. any literary composition, as a novel, dealing with a somber theme carried to a tragic or disastrous conclusion.

6. the tragic or mournful or calamitous element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

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tragedy British  

/ ˈtrædʒɪdɪ /

noun

1. (esp in classical and Renaissance drama) a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of importance and outstanding personal qualities, falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances with which he cannot deal

2. (in later drama, such as that of Ibsen) a play in which the protagonist is overcome by a combination of social and psychological circumstances

3. any dramatic or literary composition dealing with serious or sombre themes and ending with disaster

4. (in medieval literature) a literary work in which a great person falls from prosperity to disaster, often through no fault of his own

5. the branch of drama dealing with such themes

6. the unfortunate aspect of something

7. a shocking or sad event; disaster

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tragedy Cultural  

1. A serious drama in which a central character, the protagonist — usually an important, heroic person — meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In most cases, the protagonist's downfall conveys a sense of human dignity in the face of great conflict. Tragedy originated in ancient Greece in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In modern times, it achieved excellence with William Shakespeare in such works as Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello. Twentieth-century tragedies include Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, and Murder in the Cathedral, by T. S. Eliot.

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Discover More

In common usage, disasters of many kinds are called tragedies.

Aristotle argued that the proper effect of tragedy is catharsis — the purging of the emotions.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontragedy
  noun
• supertragedy
  noun
• protragedy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tragedies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tragedy

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tragedie, from Medieval Latin tragēdia, Latin tragoedia, from Greek tragōidía, from trág(os) “goat” + ōid(ḗ) “song” ( see ode) + -ia -y ³; reason for name variously explained

Explanation

Tragedy is a noun that indicates disaster or bad fortune. It would be a tragedy to lose your job, but an even greater tragedy to fall ill while unemployed and without health care. First recorded in the late 14th century, the noun tragedy originally referred to a play with an unhappy ending. About a century later it also came to mean an unhappy event or a disaster. The playwright George Bernard Shaw wittily observed, "“There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.” The comedian Mel Brooks defined tragedy as follows: "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tragedy tragedies

It may also fear the impact of a tragedy like this and its potential to be a rallying factor, especially in a community where faith has long played a central role.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Sadly, we're only seeing the beginning of this tragedy," spokesman Ricardo Pires told reporters.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Jake and Romy made their first public appearance together since the tragedy on Aug. 2 at Dodger Stadium, where they took part in the ceremonial first pitch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

It’s truly a tragedy when families become casualties of things that, in the long run, may not matter nearly as much as the people involved.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

He didn’t regard himself as a tragedy; he thought, among other things, that his unusual personality enabled him to concentrate better than other people.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

By comparison Uganda has had nine since 2000, with officials there saying lessons learnt from past tragedies have allowed them to stop the disease ripping through the country on various occasions.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

“Titanic” made audiences understand why historic catastrophes are also intimate tragedies.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

After two and a half centuries of triumphs and tragedies, slavery and freedom, civil war and world wars, multiple surveys indicate a nation divided about where it is and where it's going.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

“Coriolanus” has never been one of Shakespeare’s more popular tragedies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

I watched her sleep with the calm contentment of a boy who has no idea of how foolish he is, or what unexpected tragedies the following day will bring.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• adversity
• calamity
• catastrophe
• failure
• hardship
• humiliation
• misfortune
• mishap
• shock
• struggle
• woe
• wreck