Tragic Meaning
/ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjCausing great sadness or suffering.
adjRelating to tragedy in a literary work.
Sentence Examples
With a little more care, the driver could have avoided such a tragic accident.
The tragic news drove his mother mad.
He was killed in a tragic accident at the age of 24.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The news report described the ____ loss of life caused by the earthquake yesterday.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a truly ____ event that saddened everyone in the village and left a deep impact on the whole community today.
Word Origin & History
From Ancient Greek τραγικός (tragikós, “of or relating to tragedy”), from τράγος (trágos, “male goat”), a reference to the goat-satyrs of the theatrical plays of the Dorians.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept?"
— 2012 March-April, Jan Sapp, “Race Finished”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 05 Sep 2015, page 164:
"Within the club itself, Crowe is regarded not only as a benefactor but as a fanatic -- a Rabbitohs tragic."
— 2011 March 31, James Macsmith, “General Russell Crowe and his Rabbitoh minions”, in Travel, CNN:
"Damian was/is a football tragic, the rest of us just like it to varying degrees."
— 2013 August 28, Kent Steedman, “The Knowledge: Rifled In”, in The Guardian:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The news report described the ____ loss of life caused by the earthquake yesterday.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It was a truly ____ event that saddened everyone in the village and left a deep impact on the whole community today.