Tragedy
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A drama or similar work, in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness of character. countable, uncountable
- 2 drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance; excites terror or pity wordnet
- 3 The genre of such works, and the art of producing them. countable, uncountable
- 4 an event resulting in great loss and misfortune wordnet
- 5 A disastrous event, especially one involving great loss of life or injury. countable, uncountable
"“The story of this adoption is, of course, the pivot round which all the circumstances of the mysterious tragedy revolved. Mrs. Yule had an only son, namely, William, to whom she was passionately attached; but, like many a fond mother, she had the desire of mapping out that son's future entirely according to her own ideas.[…]”"
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"As a rule, I prefer a comedy to a tragedy."
Etymology
From the Middle English tragedie, from the Old French tragedie, from the Latin tragoedia, from the Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía, “epic play, tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), possibly a reference to the goat-satyrs of the theatrical plays of the Dorians, or according to Beekes possibly to a goat given as prize, though the etymology remains uncertain.
Related phrases
More for "tragedy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.