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

In ‘Partita,’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Barbara Kingsolver weaves classical music and family tragedy into an intimate, resonant novel about second chances and self-discovery.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

It aims to provide a permanent place for children, families and visitors to remember the victims and reflect on the lasting impact of the tragedy.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

For Thales Miola, a lawyer at Instituto Preservar, "the costs of climate damage should not fall solely on society and on those who lost everything in the tragedy."

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Germanwings tragedy fueled a push by regulators, industry officials and advocates to reduce barriers for pilots to seek mental health treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Yet if the scientists let their emotions get in the way of learning from the volcano, then the missed opportunity—the chance to prevent harm to someone else in the future—would only add to the tragedy.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

At the concert, Mastodon also appeared as a band pushing past the tragedies, and was re-energized and refocused with a new lineup.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

A group of the enslaved Athenians devise a plan to stage “Medea” and “The Trojan Women,” a pair of tragedies by Euripides that deal with vengeance and the costs of war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

“These are tragedies, and four families are grieving.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Elevated surf and rip currents as a result of Marie are arriving following a series of tragedies and increased rescues along Southern California beaches this summer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

It was just one of those unexpected tragedies, that just smacked me over the head as soon as I turned around.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

Related Words

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