tragedy

nouncommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di//
Canada//ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ɪ.di//
Canada//ˈtɹæd͡ʒ.ə.di//

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.

noun

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.
2
The genre of such works, and the art of producing them.
3
A disastrous event, especially one involving great loss of life or injury.
“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.[…]”
We saw a farmhouse burning down in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. And we rolled right past that tragedy 'till we turned into some road house lights.
[…] last month's flooding in the Buffalo Creek Valley […]. The tragedy took more than one hundred lives[…]
After the terrible tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911, which killed 146 New York garment workers, proper fire drilling was considered a necessity.

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.

Forms

plural: tragedies

traditionally · In a traditional manner.traffic · Moving pedestrians or vehicles, or the flux or passage…trafficking · The illegal trade or exchange of goods.

tragedy · 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…

tragic · Causing great sadness or suffering.tragically · In a tragic manner.trail · To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or…

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.