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

Others say that the tragedy lies at Cambridge’s feet for having hired Arday without doing due diligence and setting him up to fail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, a Cambridge alumnus, has called Arday's death "a tragedy on so many levels".

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

A smile is missing, which comes as no surprise because he’s being asked to talk about a tragedy that few teenagers could overcome, let alone discuss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Dutch Grand Prix has been the scene of tragedy with British drivers Piers Courage and Roger Williamson dying in accidents, in 1970 and 1973 respectively.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

It has no rival in Greek tragedy except the four plays of Sophocles about Oedipus and his children.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Generally, these tragedies cause a moment of concern... but then things go back to how they were.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Rothko also begins to flirt with Surrealism—which becomes more pronounced in his output as the tragedies of World War II unfolded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Isolated but vivid tragedies involving a few people should not blind us to the fact that myriad prosaic activities may involve a much higher degree of risk.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

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