tragic

English

Alternative forms

• tragick (obsolete)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹæd͡ʒɪk/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ædʒɪk

Adjective

tragic (comparative more tragic, superlative most tragic)

1. Causing great sadness or suffering.
   • 2012 March-April, Jan Sapp, “Race Finished”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 164:

     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?

2. Relating to tragedy in a literary work.
3. (in tabloid newspapers) Having been the victim of a tragedy.
   • 2008 February 14, “Search for tragic Madeleine McCann over”, in The Daily Telegraph‎^[2], Australia:

   • 2012 June 25, Gary Meneely, The Irish Sun‎^[3]:

4. (informal, chiefly predicative) Cringeworthy; tryhard; unhip; embarrassing; hopeless; indicative of (or having) a chronic lack of self-awareness.

   That dress is tragic.

   He's pretty tragic these days, hanging out with people half his age.

Derived terms

• tragic flaw

Related terms

• tragicomic
• tragical
• tragically

Translations

causing great sadness

• Arabic: مَأْسَاوِيّ‎ (maʔsāwiyy), تْرَاجِيدِيّ‎ (trājīdiyy)
• Armenian: ողբերգական (hy) (ołbergakan)
• Belarusian: трагі́чны (trahíčny)
• Bulgarian: траги́чен (bg) (tragíčen)
• Catalan: tràgic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 悲劇的／悲剧的 (zh) (bēijù de); 悲痛的 (zh) (bēitòng de)

• Czech: tragický (cs)
• Danish: tragisk
• Dutch: tragisch (nl)
• Esperanto: tragika (eo)
• Estonian: traagiline
• Finnish: murheellinen (fi), traaginen (fi)
• French: tragique (fr)
• Galician: tráxico
• Georgian: ტრაგიკული (ṭragiḳuli)
• German: tragisch (de)
• Greek: τραγικός (el) (tragikós)
• Hebrew: טְרָגִי‎ (trági)
• Hungarian: tragikus (hu)
• Icelandic: sorglegur (is)
• Ingrian: murheelliin
• Italian: tragico (it)
• Japanese: 悲惨な (ja) (ひさんな, hisan na)
• Korean: 비참하다 (ko) (bichamhada)
• Latvian: traģisks
• Lithuanian: tragiškas
• Macedonian: тра́гичен (trágičen)
• Maori: whakahiatangi
• Navajo: hóyééʼ
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tragisk (no)

• Piedmontese: tràgich
• Polish: tragiczny (pl)
• Portuguese: trágico (pt)
• Romanian: tragic (ro)
• Russian: траги́ческий (ru) (tragíčeskij), траги́чный (ru) (tragíčnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: тра̀гичан

  Roman: tràgičan (sh)

• Slovak: tragický
• Slovene: tragičen
• Spanish: trágico (es)
• Swedish: tragisk (sv)
• Tagalog: matrahedya
• Thai: น่าเศร้า
• Ukrainian: трагі́чний (trahíčnyj)

relating to tragedy

• Belarusian: трагі́чны (trahíčny)
• Bulgarian: траги́чен (bg) (tragíčen)
• Catalan: tràgic
• Dutch: tragisch (nl)
• Finnish: traaginen (fi)
• French: tragique (fr)
• Galician: tráxico
• German: tragisch (de)
• Greek: τραγικός (el) (tragikós)

  Ancient: τραγικός (tragikós)

• Hebrew: טְרָגִי‎ (trági)
• Hungarian: tragikus (hu)
• Indonesian: tragis (id)
• Italian: tragico (it)
• Japanese: 悲劇の (ja) (ひげきの, higeki no)
• Korean: 비극의 (ko) (bigeug-ui)
• Latin: tragicus
• Macedonian: тра́гичен (trágičen)
• Malay: tragik
• Piedmontese: tràgich
• Polish: tragiczny (pl)
• Portuguese: trágico (pt)
• Russian: траги́ческий (ru) (tragíčeskij)
• Spanish: trágico (es)
• Swedish: tragisk (sv)
• Tagalog: matrahedya
• Ukrainian: трагі́чний (trahíčnyj)

Noun

tragic (plural tragics)

1. (Australia, colloquial) An obsessive fan, a superfan
   • 2011 March 31, James Macsmith, “General Russell Crowe and his Rabbitoh minions”, in Travel, CNN:

     Within the club itself, Crowe is regarded not only as a benefactor but as a fanatic -- a Rabbitohs tragic.

   • 2013 March 13. Ricky Stuart, quoted in "Doping scandal is overwhelming league: Stuart":

     I'm a fan of rugby league. I'm a tragic of rugby league.

   • 2013 August 28, Kent Steedman, “The Knowledge: Rifled In”, in The Guardian:

     Damian was/is a football tragic, the rest of us just like it to varying degrees.

   • 2015 March 29. Jermaine, Wharf Hotel website WE DON'T LIKE FOOTBALL - WE LOVE IT!

     Footy's back and as I'm a footy tragic it means I'm one very happy man.

2. (obsolete) A writer of tragedy.
3. (obsolete) A tragedy; a tragic drama.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “tragic”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tragique, from Latin tragicus.

Adjective

tragic m or n (feminine singular tragică, masculine plural tragici, feminine and neuter plural tragice)

1. tragical

Declension

Declension of tragic

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	tragic		tragică	tragici	tragice
	definite	tragicul		tragica	tragicii	tragicele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	tragic		tragice	tragici	tragice
	definite	tragicului		tragicei	tragicilor	tragicelor