tragicomedy

[ traj-i-kom-i-dee ]

noun

, plural trag·i·com·e·dies.

1. a dramatic or other literary composition combining elements of both tragedy and comedy.
2. an incident, or series of incidents, of mixed tragic and comic character.

tragicomedy

/ ˌtrædʒɪˈkɒmɪdɪ /

noun

1. 1. a drama in which aspects of both tragedy and comedy are found
   2. the dramatic genre of works of this kind
2. an event or incident having both comic and tragic aspects

Derived Forms

• ˌtragiˈcomic, adjective
• ˌtragiˈcomically, adverb

Other Words From

• trag·i·com·ic [traj-i-, kom, -ik], tragi·comi·cal adjective
• tragi·comi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of tragicomedy¹

1570–80; < Late Latin tragicōmoedia, syncopated variant of Latin tragicocōmoedia. See tragic, -o-, comedy

Word History and Origins

Origin of tragicomedy¹

C16: from French, ultimately from Late Latin tragicōmoedia ; see tragedy , comedy

Example Sentences

For anyone who’s ever felt adrift or behind in life, this keenly observed and inventively structured Argentine tragicomedy mines dry humor from the absurdity of social norms and its protagonist’s downhearted demeanor.

From Los Angeles Times

Her work is not strictly autobiographical, but as in the plays of Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee or Adrienne Kennedy, she has a canny way of rearranging the emotional furniture of her lived experience into tragicomedy.

From New York Times

This describes the tragicomedy of Asher and Whitney – they are convinced they know better and can therefore force people to live better.

From Salon

The tragicomedy centred around members of a dysfunctional family taking their youngest to compete in a child beauty pageant.

From BBC

Through years of filming the tragicomedy, the two actors learned to deeply trust each other.

From Los Angeles Times