tragedy

[ traj-i-dee ]
/ ˈtrædʒ ɪ di /

noun, plural trag·e·dies.

a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster: stunned by the tragedy of so many deaths.
a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically involving a great person destined to experience downfall or utter destruction, as through a character flaw or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or an unyielding society.
the branch of the drama that is concerned with this form of composition.
the art and theory of writing and producing tragedies.
any literary composition, as a novel, dealing with a somber theme carried to a tragic or disastrous conclusion.
the tragic or mournful or calamitous element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

Origin of tragedy

1325–75; Middle English tragedie < Medieval Latin tragēdia, Latin tragoedia < Greek tragōidía, equivalent to trág(os) goat + ōidḗ song (see ode) + -ia -y3; reason for name variously explained

OTHER WORDS FROM tragedy

non·trag·e·dy, noun, plural non·trag·e·dies. pro·trag·e·dy, adjective su·per·trag·e·dy, noun, plural su·per·trag·e·dies.

Example sentences from the Web for tragedies

British Dictionary definitions for tragedies

tragedy
/ (ˈtrædʒɪdɪ) /

noun plural -dies

Compare comedy

Word Origin for tragedy

C14: from Old French tragédie, from Latin tragoedia, from Greek tragōidia, from tragos goat + ōidē song; perhaps a reference to the goat-satyrs of Peloponnesian plays

Cultural definitions for tragedies

tragedy

A serious drama in which a central character, the protagonist — usually an important, heroic person — meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In most cases, the protagonist's downfall conveys a sense of human dignity in the face of great conflict. Tragedy originated in ancient Greece in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In modern times, it achieved excellence with William Shakespeare in such works as Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello. Twentieth-century tragedies include Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, and Murder in the Cathedral, by T. S. Eliot.

notes for tragedy

Aristotle argued that the proper effect of tragedy is catharsis — the purging of the emotions.

notes for tragedy

In common usage, disasters of many kinds are called tragedies.