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.
It was the same tragic flaw that also took down Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 16, 2024
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
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
The Duchess set about studying Annette and shortly found her adversary’s tragic flaw.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
