tragicomic
adjective
tragi·com·ic
ˌtra-ji-ˈkä-mik 
variants
or less commonly tragicomical
1
: of, relating to, or resembling tragicomedy
2
: manifesting both tragic and comic aspects
Examples of tragicomic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anton Chekhov’s tragicomic 1897 play, about unrequited love and existential ennui, has been inescapable in recent years.
—
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Most of us watch films and shows about less-than-happy topics — war, heartbreak, loss, the tragicomic existence of life behind a desk in a faceless bureaucracy.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024
The Last Emperor of Mexico: The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World
Shawcross examines the tragicomic rule of Ferdinand Maximilian, the Habsburg prince whom France briefly imposed on Mexico in the 1860s.
—Steven Dudley, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Early in that novel, the protagonist meets a hermit named Cardenio who—in a tragicomic episode tailor-made for Shakespeare—has withdrawn to the Spanish hills after his friend stole his girlfriend.
—Andrea Mays, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragicomic 
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Most of us watch films and shows about less-than-happy topics — war, heartbreak, loss, the tragicomic existence of life behind a desk in a faceless bureaucracy.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024
The Last Emperor of Mexico: The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World
Shawcross examines the tragicomic rule of Ferdinand Maximilian, the Habsburg prince whom France briefly imposed on Mexico in the 1860s.
—Steven Dudley, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Early in that novel, the protagonist meets a hermit named Cardenio who—in a tragicomic episode tailor-made for Shakespeare—has withdrawn to the Spanish hills after his friend stole his girlfriend.
—Andrea Mays, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for tragicomic
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tragicomic.' 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 tragicomic
Cite this Entry
“Tragicomic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragicomic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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