tragic
Americanadjective
-
characteristic or suggestive of tragedy.
tragic solemnity.
- Antonyms:
- comic
-
extremely mournful, melancholy, or pathetic.
a tragic plight.
- Synonyms:
- pitiful
- Antonyms:
- comic
-
dreadful, calamitous, disastrous, or fatal.
a tragic event.
- Antonyms:
- comic
-
of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of tragedy.
the tragic drama.
-
acting in or writing tragedy.
a tragic actor; a tragic poet.
noun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of tragedy
-
mournful or pitiable
a tragic face
Other Word Forms
- hypertragic adjective
- hypertragical adjective
- hypertragically adverb
- nontragic adjective
- nontragical adjective
- nontragically adverb
- nontragicalness noun
- quasi-tragic adjective
- quasi-tragically adverb
- supertragic adjective
- supertragically adverb
- tragically adverb
- tragicalness noun
- untragic adjective
- untragical adjective
- untragically adverb
- untragicalness noun
Etymology
Origin of tragic
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin tragicus, from Greek tragikós “of tragedy,” from trág(os) “goat” + -ikos -ic; see tragedy ( def. )
Explanation
Tragic means sad on a grand scale. Rain on your parade? Sad. Weeks of rain leading to the destruction of a small town and the lives of those in it? Tragic. Though the word tragic has come to be used for common sorrows, it's best reserved for the kind of sad, unavoidable situations that Shakespeare would have written about. In a staged tragedy, the main character comes to a sad end due to his or her one tragic flaw –– this lead is called a tragic hero.
Vocabulary lists containing tragic
Unit 1: Telling Details
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The Tale of Despereaux
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The Wednesday Wars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For almost six years, Argentines have demanded the truth about the mysterious death of their tragic national hero, Diego Maradona, among the greatest soccer players the world has ever seen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
In a statement, Zuri Zanzibar told the BBC that it was deeply saddened by the "tragic incident involving one of our guests".
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
"We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident," he added.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Gavalas is the latest example of an AI-chatbot user spiraling into a delusional state, with tragic consequences.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
The truth is that the future would arrive with its own surprises—some joyous, some unspeakably tragic.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
