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
-
hypertragicadjective
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hypertragicaladjective
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hypertragicallyadverb
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nontragicadjective
-
nontragicaladjective
-
nontragicallyadverb
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nontragicalnessnoun
-
quasi-tragicadjective
-
quasi-tragicallyadverb
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supertragicadjective
-
supertragicallyadverb
-
tragicallyadverb
-
tragicalnessnoun
-
untragicadjective
-
untragicaladjective
-
untragicallyadverb
-
untragicalnessnoun
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.
If you do have to make the tragic decision to put Otis down, that will be another cost.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
He said it is "clear that there were failures in the police response" adding that "there is a lot of learning that needs to be taken from the tragic circumstances surrounding Katie's murder".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
The move, according to lawyer Julie Dahlstrom, would have "quite simply, monumental tragic consequences."
From Barron's • May 10, 2026
That will prove a costly and tragic mistake.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Tell me all you can about how the Pickled Onion’s husband came to his tragic end, if you feel that you won’t put anyone in danger.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
