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
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
John Lennon’s tragic death in 1980 forever changed the trajectory of life for his widow Yoko Ono and their son Sean.
—Rachel Desantis, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
The tragic case of Kitty Genovese in 1964 famously illustrated this concept, though the case details have been subject to later scrutiny and revision.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Not only was that the natural way to tell the story from his perspective as a narrator, aware of the tragic events, but that was also a way to grab the audience’s attention, hence his decision as well to insert reminders of the tragedy through the voice over at various intervals.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
The claim highlights the tragic oversight and the family’s pursuit of justice.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Rachel Desantis, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
The tragic case of Kitty Genovese in 1964 famously illustrated this concept, though the case details have been subject to later scrutiny and revision.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Not only was that the natural way to tell the story from his perspective as a narrator, aware of the tragic events, but that was also a way to grab the audience’s attention, hence his decision as well to insert reminders of the tragedy through the voice over at various intervals.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025
The claim highlights the tragic oversight and the family’s pursuit of justice.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
Cite this Entry
“Tragic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tragic. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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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