variants
or less commonly tragical
1
a
: regrettably serious or unpleasant : deplorable, lamentable
a tragic mistake
b
: marked by a sense of tragedy
2
: of, marked by, or expressive of tragedy
the tragic significance of the atomic bomb—
H. S. Truman
H. S. Truman3
a
: dealing with or treated in tragedy
the tragic hero
b
: appropriate to or typical of tragedy
Synonyms
Examples of tragic in a Sentence
Their deaths were tragic and untimely.
They both died in a tragic car accident.
Romeo and Juliet's tragic love affair.
We saw a tragic play about a man with AIDS.
the tragic characters of her novel
Recent Examples on the Web
Singapore Turbulence Doc Sells Around The World A wealth of broadcasters have funded a fast-turnaround doc about turbulence following the tragic Singapore Airlines disaster.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 June 2024
What was meant to be a night of celebration took a tragic turn, leading to Tench’s disappearance and the arrest of D’Shaun Montrell Robinson in connection to the case.
—Luke Fountain, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2024
The surviving four secretly bond with a group of boys in their neighborhood, though things soon take a tragic turn.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 24 June 2024
Hard Science How the biggest earthquake in world history nearly destroyed a local civilization
Some of the coastal areas were not repopulated for millennia afterward, showing that there was a long-lasting memory of this tragic event.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragic 
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 June 2024
What was meant to be a night of celebration took a tragic turn, leading to Tench’s disappearance and the arrest of D’Shaun Montrell Robinson in connection to the case.
—Luke Fountain, Charlotte Observer, 25 June 2024
The surviving four secretly bond with a group of boys in their neighborhood, though things soon take a tragic turn.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 24 June 2024
Hard Science How the biggest earthquake in world history nearly destroyed a local civilization
Some of the coastal areas were not repopulated for millennia afterward, showing that there was a long-lasting memory of this tragic event.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tragic
adjective
trag·ic
ˈtraj-ik 
1
: of, marked by, or expressive of tragedy
2
: dealing with or appearing in tragedy
a tragic hero
3
: very unfortunate : deplorable
a tragic mistake
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