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): /ˈtɹædʒɪk/

• 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, Search for tragic Madeleine McCann over (in The Daily Telegraph of Australia, 14 February 2008) [2]
   • 2012, Gary Meneely, Keano’s tribute to tragic James (in The Irish Sun, 25 June 2012) [3]

Derived terms

• tragic flaw

Related terms

• tragicomic
• tragical
• tragically

Translations

causing great sadness

• Catalan: tràgic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 悲剧的 (zh), bēijù de; 悲痛的 (zh), bēitòng de

• Czech: tragický
• Dutch: tragisch (nl)
• Esperanto: tragika (eo)
• Finnish: murheellinen (fi), traaginen (fi)
• French: tragique (fr)
• Galician: tráxico
• German: tragisch (de)
• Hebrew: טרגי‎ (trági)

• Hungarian: tragikus (hu)
• Icelandic: sorglegur (is)
• Italian: tragico (it)
• Japanese: 悲惨 (ja) (hisan)
• Maori: whakahiatangi
• Navajo: hóyééʼ
• Portuguese: trágico (pt) m
• Russian: траги́ческий (ru) (tragíčeskij)
• Spanish: trágico (es) m
• Swedish: tragisk (sv)

relating to tragedy

• Catalan: tràgic
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 写悲剧的 (zh), xiě bēijù de; 演悲剧的 (zh), yǎn bēijù de

• Dutch: tragisch (nl)
• Finnish: traaginen (fi)
• French: tragique (fr)
• Galician: tráxico
• German: tragisch (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: τραγικός (tragikós)

• Hebrew: טרגי‎ (trági)
• Hungarian: tragikus (hu)
• Italian: tragico (it)
• Japanese: 悲劇の (ja) (higeki no)
• Portuguese: trágico (pt) m
• Russian: траги́ческий (ru) (tragíčeskij)
• Spanish: trágico (es) m
• Swedish: tragisk (sv)

Noun

tragic (plural tragics)

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

     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 Guardian "The Knowledge: Rifled In"

     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, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)