tragic
gb/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk/ us/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk/
B1
English
~ 5000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
Causing deep sorrow or grief
Making people feel very sad because something bad has happened.
Usage pattern:
[something] is tragic
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tragic' with 'terrible'. While both describe bad situations, 'tragic' usually involves deep sadness and loss, not just something unpleasant.
Synonyms
heartbreaking (Stronger emotional tone, often more personal and intimate than 'tragic'.)
|
devastating (Emphasizes emotional and often physical destruction; can apply to wider contexts than 'tragic'.)
Antonyms
fortunate (Describes events that are lucky or beneficial, the opposite of an unfortunate and sorrowful event.)
|
joyful (Focuses on positive, happy feelings rather than deep sadness.)
Collocations
tragic accident
|tragic loss
|tragic death
|tragic event
|tragic story
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|news
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The news of the earthquake was truly tragic.
- It was a tragic accident that took three lives.
- Her tragic story moved everyone in the room.
- The play ends with a tragic scene.
- They lost their home in a tragic fire.
Learner examples
- The movie has a tragic ending.
- It was a tragic accident.
- This is a tragic story.
- Her life was short and tragic.
- The war had many tragic results.
adjective
B2
property
2
Relating to tragic drama or literature
About a serious play or story that ends sadly, usually with the main character's downfall.
Usage pattern:
tragic [hero/character/play/story]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tragic' in this sense with simply 'sad'. In literature, it refers specifically to works with certain serious themes and structures.
Synonyms
dramatic (In literary contexts, can overlap but does not necessarily imply a sorrowful ending.)
Antonyms
comic (Refers to works intended to be humorous and lighthearted, the opposite of tragic in drama.)
Collocations
tragic hero
|tragic flaw
|tragic play
|tragic ending
Themes
literature
|theatre
|arts_entertainment
|education
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most famous tragic heroes.
- The opera tells the story of a tragic love affair.
- Her character arc follows the classic pattern of a tragic downfall.
- The novel reads like a tragic play.
- He played the role of the tragic hero perfectly.
Learner examples
- Romeo is a tragic hero.
- This is a tragic play by Shakespeare.
- The story has a tragic ending.
- The main character has a tragic flaw.
adjective
informal
B2
property
3
Very bad in quality (informal)
Very bad in quality or performance, sometimes said as a joke.
Usage pattern:
[something] is tragic
Common mistake:
Learners may take this sense literally and think it means 'causing sadness'. In informal speech, it just means 'very bad'.
Synonyms
awful (Very bad in general; lacks the ironic or humorous tone that 'tragic' can have informally.)
|
pathetic (Can mean very bad or inadequate, but may sound more insulting than 'tragic'.)
Antonyms
excellent (High quality, opposite of poor quality described by 'tragic'.)
Collocations
tragic attempt
|tragic outfit
|tragic performance
Themes
informal speech
|daily_life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- My cooking skills are absolutely tragic.
- That was a tragic attempt at singing.
- His fashion sense is just tragic.
- Our team’s defense last night was tragic.
- The weather for our picnic was tragic.
Learner examples
- My drawing is tragic.
- Her singing was tragic.
- The game was tragic for our team.
- This meal is tragic.
Grammar
Dictionary form
tragic
IPA
GB/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk/
US/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk/
Syllables & stress
tra - gic (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (tra)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: tragic
Word family
Core family
tragedy
noun B1
tragically
adverb
Advanced or less common
tragicomedy
noun
tragicomic
adjective
Expressions
a tragedy waiting to happen
1/ə tɹˈæd͡ʒədi wˈeɪtɪŋ tə hˈæpən/
idiom
Situation likely to end badly
A situation that will probably end in something very bad or harmful happening.
Examples
- Leaving those wires exposed is a tragedy waiting to happen.
- The unsafe bridge was a tragedy waiting to happen.
tragic flaw
1/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk flˈɔ/
fixed phrase
Fatal weakness causing downfall in tragedy
A weakness in a character that causes them to fail or die in a sad story.
Examples
- Pride is the tragic flaw of many heroes in literature.
- His inability to trust others was his tragic flaw.
tragic hero
1/tɹˈæd͡ʒɪk hˈɪɹoʊ/
fixed phrase
Main character destroyed by own flaw
A main character in a sad story whose own mistake or weakness causes their failure or death.
Examples
- Othello is often seen as a tragic hero because his jealousy leads to his downfall.
- In many classic plays, the tragic hero is noble but flawed.