tragic

[ traj-ik ]

adjective

1. characteristic or suggestive of tragedy:

   tragic solemnity.

   Antonyms: comic

2. extremely mournful, melancholy, or pathetic:

   a tragic plight.

   Synonyms: pitiful

   Antonyms: comic

3. dreadful, calamitous, disastrous, or fatal:

   a tragic event.

   Antonyms: comic

4. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or of the nature of tragedy:

   the tragic drama.

5. acting in or writing tragedy:

   a tragic actor; a tragic poet.

noun

1. the tragic, the element or quality of tragedy in literature, art, drama, etc.:

   lives that had never known anything but the tragic.

tragic

/ ˈtrædʒɪk; ˈtrædʒɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of tragedy
2. mournful or pitiable

   a tragic face

Derived Forms

• ˈtragically, adverb

Other Words From

• tragi·cal·ly adverb
• tragi·cal·ness noun
• hyper·tragic adjective
• hyper·tragi·cal adjective
• hyper·tragi·cal·ly adverb
• non·tragic adjective
• non·tragi·cal adjective
• non·tragi·cal·ly adverb
• non·tragi·cal·ness noun
• quasi-tragic adjective
• quasi-tragi·cal·ly adverb
• super·tragic adjective
• super·tragi·cal·ly adverb
• un·tragic adjective
• un·tragi·cal adjective
• un·tragi·cal·ly adverb
• un·tragi·cal·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tragic¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin tragicus, from Greek tragikós “of tragedy,” from trág(os) “goat” + -ikos -ic; tragedy ( def )

Example Sentences

He said that while the the "tragic incident" happened many years ago, there will be people who either remember the murder or have connections to Ms Dunne's family.

From BBC

The company issued a statement on Sunday mourning his "tragic loss."

From BBC

“It is absolutely tragic that her life has been cut short in this way,” he said.

From BBC

“Matthew Perry’s tragic death by drowning while intoxicated illustrates that the greatest risks from ketamine are not direct effects of the drug but from using outside of medical settings or without proper monitoring.”

From Salon

"This is a very tragic situation, and we are deeply sorry for the family's pain and loss."

From BBC

Related Words

• appalling
• awful
• calamitous
• cataclysmic
• deadly
• deplorable
• destructive
• dire
• disastrous
• dreadful
• fatal
• fateful
• grievous
• grim
• harrowing
• heartbreaking
• miserable
• painful
• pathetic
• pitiful