Meaning & use

tragic

adjective·Everyday

Causing or characterized by extreme sadness, suffering, or a disastrous outcome.

See it in a sentence

The tragic accident on the highway left the whole town in mourning.

Shakespeare's tragic heroes are often destroyed by their own fatal flaws.

A note on using this word

In literature, 'tragic' specifically describes a genre in which an admirable protagonist suffers a downfall, distinct from its everyday sense of merely sad.

Words with a similar meaning

disastrouscatastrophicsorrowful

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

fortunatecomic

Make it your own

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