tragedy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a very sad event, accident, or situation that causes great suffering or death.
a disastrous event or situation, especially one involving significant loss of life, injury, or profound misfortune.
Simple“The local community was shocked by the tragedy of the house fire.”
In context“The sudden collapse of the bridge was a national tragedy that prompted an immediate investigation into the city's infrastructure safety.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a serious play, movie, or book that has a very sad ending, usually where the main character dies or loses everything.
a dramatic or literary genre dealing with serious themes and the downfall of a protagonist due to fate or a character flaw.
Simple“Shakespeare wrote many famous tragedies, including Romeo and Juliet.”
In context“The students spent the semester analysing the role of fate in Greek tragedy, focusing specifically on the works of Sophocles.”
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun when referring to the genre as a whole.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
a particular book, play, or film that is a tragedy.
a specific creative work belonging to the genre of tragedy.
Simple“The play we saw last night was a real tragedy; everyone in the audience was crying.”
In context“Critics hailed the new film as a modern tragedy that perfectly captured the isolation of urban life.”
Synonymstragic drama
“Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Burnham said Jason Arday’s death was “a tragedy on so many levels”.”
“Andy Burnham has called the death of Jason Arday, whose body was found at his home in south London on Friday, a “tragedy on so many levels”.”
Middle English tragedie from Old French tragedie, itself from Latin tragoedia, in turn from Ancient Greek τραγῳδία (tragōidía), a compound of τράγος (trágos, “male goat”) and ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”).
The ancients were already arguing about why a dramatic form took its name from livestock. The Dorians, whose early performances featured goat-satyrs prancing across the orchestra, provide one candidate. A second, offered by the modern Hellenist Robert Beekes, suggests the goat may simply have been the prize awarded to the winning playwright — a practical animal, dispatched for its meat rather than its muse. After twenty-five centuries the question remains unsettled, though the word has long since left paddock and stagehand behind.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.