tragic flaw
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of tragic flaw
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
History reflects humankind’s most tragic flaw: Humans are incapable of protecting themselves from themselves.
From Washington Post • Mar. 23, 2023
Beany struggles with a tragic flaw, a quick temper and a terrible pride, which makes it difficult for her to apologize for the things she does when angry.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2020
In this telling, Coriolanus’ overestimation of her own savvy is a tragic flaw.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2017
It might have been Tressel’s tragic flaw to love not wisely but too well, seeing his players as his children and himself as the person best positioned to discipline them.
From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2016
He couldn’t easily promulgate it, though, because he had a tragic flaw: a severe speech impediment, perhaps a stutter.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
