Meaning & use
tragic fate
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A very sad and unhappy outcome that seems impossible to avoid, especially in a story or real event.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase; often with 'meet', 'suffer', or 'end in'.
Patterns
- meet a tragic fate
- suffer a tragic fate
- end in a tragic fate
The hero of the novel meets a tragic fate at the end.
Many historical figures suffered a tragic fate after their rise to power.
The film tells the story of a family's tragic fate during the war.
Common combinations
- meet a tragic fate
- The explorers met a tragic fate when their ship sank.
- suffer a tragic fate
- The character suffers a tragic fate because of his pride.
- a tragic fate awaits
- A tragic fate awaits the lovers in the play.
- avoid a tragic fate
- They tried to avoid a tragic fate by fleeing the city.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tragic end
- Focuses on the final moment rather than the whole unhappy destiny; 'tragic fate' often suggests a destiny that cannot be changed.
- doom
- Stronger and more literary; it implies a terrible and certain destruction, while 'tragic fate' is sad rather than necessarily violent.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tragic fate or fate?
tragic fate vs fate
On its own, 'fate' can be neutral or even good; 'tragic fate' specifically means a sad, unhappy destiny.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tragic fate' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'meet a tragic fate' is a fixed expression meaning to have a very sad outcome, often in a story. Option 0 is too trivial for 'tragic fate'; option 2 uses 'gave' incorrectly; option 3 uses the phrase as a verb, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tragic fate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.