tragedy
Pluraltragedies
- 1A terrible event that causes great suffering, death, or destruction.
Like a sudden storm that destroys everything in its path.
The plane crash was a tragedy that shocked the whole country.
Everyone in town felt the tragedy of losing so many homes in the fire.
Similardisaster, catastrophe, calamity, misfortune
Note
- 2A play or story in which the main character is destroyed by a serious mistake or weakness.
Like a story where a hero's one big mistake leads to a sad ending.
We read a famous tragedy in class about a king who loses everything.
The play is a tragedy, so you know it will end badly for the hero.
Oppositecomedy
Note
- 3The kind of serious plays and stories that end sadly, and the skill of writing them.
Like comedy, but for stories that end in sadness instead of laughter.
She studies tragedy at college and loves reading sad old plays.
Greek tragedy is still performed on stages today.
Oppositecomedy
Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of tragedy apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
It comes from Greek words meaning "goat" and "song," though why is not certain.