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
The woman behind the 911 call that set off the tragic chain of events leading to Young Scooter’s death on his 39th birthday is now speaking out — contradicting her own initial account of the incident.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Underdogs don't come much more awkward than Carrie White (so memorably played by Sissy Spacek), the timid, tragic heroine of Brian De Palma's freaky Stephen King adaptation.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Thirty years after her tragic death, the legacy and memory of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is alive and well.
—Amy Contreras, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
That collection dropped in the fall of 2024 and marked the band’s formal return following the tragic death of frontman Chester Bennington more than half a decade ago.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tragic
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Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Underdogs don't come much more awkward than Carrie White (so memorably played by Sissy Spacek), the timid, tragic heroine of Brian De Palma's freaky Stephen King adaptation.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Thirty years after her tragic death, the legacy and memory of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez is alive and well.
—Amy Contreras, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
That collection dropped in the fall of 2024 and marked the band’s formal return following the tragic death of frontman Chester Bennington more than half a decade ago.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 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 7 Apr. 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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