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
-
nontragicalnessnoun
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tragicalnessnoun
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untragicalnessnoun
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hypertragicadjective
-
hypertragicaladjective
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nontragicadjective
-
nontragicaladjective
-
quasi-tragicadjective
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supertragicadjective
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untragicadjective
-
untragicaladjective
-
hypertragicallyadverb
-
nontragicallyadverb
-
quasi-tragicallyadverb
-
supertragicallyadverb
-
tragicallyadverb
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untragicallyadverb
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.
It cannot be said that betrayal has endowed Delery with Tragic Dignity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Tragic revelations, made Friday by authorities in New Mexico, resolve many questions raised by the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025
In a review of Chernobyl, the LA Times said: "Tragic roles seem to find Harris, likely because he's a master at conveying grace under pressure while internally imploding, then eventually self-destructing or disappearing altogether."
From BBC • Sep. 27, 2023
“Trump really took Giuliani under his wing at a very vulnerable moment,” said Mr. Kirtzman, whose second Giuliani biography, “Giuliani: The Rise and Tragic Fall of America’s Mayor,” was published last year.
From Washington Times • Aug. 25, 2023
Nor must it be supposed that even the nobler Epic or Tragic Muse was insensible to the poetical value of the passion of love.
From The International Monthly, Vol. II, No. I December 1, 1850 by Various
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.
