tragedytra‧ge‧dy /ˈtrædʒədi/ ●●○ noun (plural tragedies) 
The tragedy happened as they were returning home from a night out. Tragedy struck the family when their two-year-old son was killed in an accident.2[countable] informal something that seems very sad and unnecessary because something will be wasted, lost, or harmed: It’s a tragedy to see so much talent going to waste.3a)[countable] a serious play or book that ends sadly, especially with the death of the main character: ‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies. b)[uncountable] this type of play or book: an actor specializing in tragedyCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa terrible/great tragedy· His death is a terrible tragedy for his family.an awful/appalling tragedy (=very unpleasant and shocking)· This is an appalling tragedy which will haunt us for the rest of our lives.a personal tragedy· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago when his son died suddenly.a human tragedy· The UN wants to see an end to the conflict and the human tragedy involved.verbsa tragedy happens/occurs· The tragedy happened shortly before 5pm on Saturday.a tragedy unfolds· When you visit the country, you begin to appreciate the size of the tragedy that is unfolding.tragedy strikes (=happens suddenly)· Just when it looked as though everything would turn out right, tragedy struck and Jenny developed a fatal illness.end in tragedy· The all-night fishing trip ended in tragedy for the four men after their boat ran aground.avert/avoid a tragedy (=prevent it from happening)· The owners could have done something to avert the tragedy.
WORD ORIGINtragedy
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French tragedie, from Latin, from Greek tragoidia, probably from tragos ‘goat’ + aeidein ‘to sing’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Investigators still do not know what caused the tragedy, which killed all 278 people on board.
- Oedipus is one of the most famous characters in Greek tragedy.
- Shakespeare's tragedies
- The real tragedy is that the city will no longer have an orchestra.
- the worst tragedy in the history of space flight
- Unless the world deals with the AIDS threat now, the African continent could suffer "a tragedy of historic proportions."
- Area police, who were coordinating the tragedy coverage, issued a statement following complaints from some of the families.
- By increasing the emotional element in comedy, comedy comes into closer relationship with tragedy.
- The Fairley family considered that they dealt with their tragedy very well, because both children afterwards showed no signs of trauma.
- The girl's short life had been dogged by tragedy.
- The story went that after the tragedy Godolphin had retired to his country estate, and never again ventured beyond its perimeters.
- Theirs is a tragedy for our entire nation.
- There is no clear professional accountability when tragedies occur although there are some signs of it emerging.
- What the hon. Member for Staffordshire, South said about the tragedy unfolding before us is right.
THESAURUS
a sudden event such as an accident, or a natural event such as a flood or storm, which causes great damage or suffering: · 200 people died in the train disaster.· The earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.
a terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, damage, suffering, or death over a wide area of the world: · A large comet hitting the Earth would be a catastrophe.· We don’t want another nuclear catastrophe like Chernobyl.· Scientists say that the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.
a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death: · It was a tragedy that he died so young.· the AIDS tragedy in Africa
an event or situation that is a complete failure and is very embarrassing: · The opening ceremony turned into a debacle.· The team is hoping to do better this game, after last week’s debacle against the Chicago Bears.
Longman Language Activatora disaster an extremely bad accident or natural event in which a lot of people are killed: · The disaster killed more than 200 people. · The crash on Monday is the latest in a long line of air disasters in West Africa.· The local people are used to coping with disaster.natural disaster (=caused by wind, rain, or other natural forces): · Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes are common occurrences in California.· The governor said the earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years.disaster area: · The Los Alamos area was officially declared a disaster area after the forest fires there in May.
a terrible event that causes a lot of deaths, damage, and destruction over a wide area: · The blizzard was a catastrophe that affected 17 states, ranging from New Hampshire to Tennessee.environmental/ecological/nuclear etc catastrophe: · Scientists say the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe.· Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe.
a terrible and very sad event or situation, usually resulting in suffering or death: · Investigators still do not know what caused the tragedy, which killed all 278 people on board.· the worst tragedy in the history of space flight· Unless the world deals with the AIDS threat now, the African continent could suffer "a tragedy of historic proportions".
a terrible and unexpected event that causes great damage and loss: · Hurricane George was just the latest calamity to hit the state.· The flood was a calamity from which Bangladesh has never fully recovered.· Singh told reporters that he had not seen such human suffering in any previous natural calamity.
WORD SETSacrostic, nounadapt, verballiteration, nounanagram, nounannual, nounanthology, nounantihero, nounapologia, nounappendix, nounassonance, nounauthorship, nounautobiography, nounballad, nounbard, nounbathos, nounbiography, nounblank verse, nounbowdlerize, verbburlesque, nouncaesura, nouncameo, nouncanon, nouncanto, nouncaricature, nounchapter, nouncharacterization, nouncitation, nounclimax, nounclimax, verbcoda, nouncollected, adjectiveconceit, nouncorpus, nouncouplet, nouncritique, noundactyl, noundeclamatory, adjectivedeconstruction, noundense, adjectivedevice, noundialogue, noundiarist, noundiction, noundigest, noundoggerel, noundraft, noundraft, verbdrama, noundub, nounelegy, nounending, nounepic, adjectiveepigram, nounepilogue, nounepistolary, adjectiveepitaph, nounessay, nounessayist, nouneulogy, nounexegesis, nounfable, nounfairy tale, nounfantasy, nounfiction, nounfictional, adjectivefirst edition, nounfirst person, nounflashback, nounflorid, adjectiveflowery, adjectivefolk, adjectiveforeword, nounformulaic, adjectivefree verse, nounghost story, nounGothic, adjectivegrandiloquent, adjectivehaiku, nounheroic, adjectiveheroic couplet, nounhexameter, nounhumorist, nounhyperbole, nouniamb, nouniambic pentameter, nounimage, nounimagery, nouninformal, adjectiveingénue, nouninstalment, nounirony, nounjournal, nounlay, nounlimerick, nounlit., literary, adjectiveliterature, nounlyric, adjectivelyric, nounlyrical, adjectivelyricism, nounman of letters, nounmanuscript, nounmetaphor, nounmetaphorical, adjectivemetre, nounmetrical, adjectivemonologue, nounnarrative, nounnarrator, nounnaturalism, nounnaturalistic, adjectivenom de plume, nounnovel, nounnovelist, nounnovella, nounnursery rhyme, nounode, nounonomatopoeia, nounpadding, nounpaean, nounparagraph, nounparaphrase, verbparaphrase, nounparenthetical, adjectivepassage, nounpathetic fallacy, nounpen name, nounpentameter, nounperiphrasis, nounperoration, nounpicaresque, adjectiveplaywright, nounplot, nounpoem, nounpoet, nounpoetess, nounpoetic, adjectivepoetic licence, nounpoet laureate, nounpoetry, nounpolemic, nounpolemical, adjectivepotboiler, nounprécis, nounpreface, nounprefatory, adjectiveprologue, nounprose, nounprosody, nounprotagonist, nounpseudonym, nounpulp, nounquatrain, nounquotation, nounquote, verbreading, nounrecite, verbrendition, nounrevise, verbrevision, nounrhetoric, nounrhyme, nounrhyme, verbromance, nounsaga, nounsatire, nounsatirist, nounscience fiction, nounscribbler, nounscript, nounself-portrait, nounSF, Shakespearean, adjectiveshort story, nounsimile, nounsoliloquy, nounsonnet, nounstanza, nounstilted, adjectivestory, nounstream of consciousness, nounstylist, nounsubplot, nounsubtitle, nounsuperhero, nounsurrealism, nounsurrealistic, adjectivesynopsis, nountailpiece, nountale, nountalking book, nountearjerker, nountext, nountextual, adjectivetexture, nountheme, nounthriller, nountitle, nountragedian, nountragedy, nountragic, adjectivetragicomedy, nountrope, nounturgid, adjectiveunabridged, adjectiveverse, nounvignette, nounvolume, nounweepy, nounwell-turned, adjectivewhodunit, nounwriter, nounwriter's block, nounyarn, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives drought-stricken farmersCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
1[countable, uncountable] a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death: · His death is a terrible tragedy for his family.
(=very unpleasant and shocking)· This is an appalling tragedy which will haunt us for the rest of our lives.
· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago when his son died suddenly.
· The UN wants to see an end to the conflict and the human tragedy involved.
verbs· The tragedy happened shortly before 5pm on Saturday.
· When you visit the country, you begin to appreciate the size of the tragedy that is unfolding.
(=happens suddenly)· Just when it looked as though everything would turn out right, tragedy struck and Jenny developed a fatal illness.
· The all-night fishing trip ended in tragedy for the four men after their boat ran aground.
(=prevent it from happening)· The owners could have done something to avert the tragedy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES drought-stricken farmers· Young Daniel's death had been as great a tragedy, but had not taken him like this.· I know our lives have moments of great tragedy and terrible suffering.· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago but he remains with the orchestra.· So great was the tragedy that its horror has not yet been forgotten.· Any case in which a patient suffers a medical accident is a great tragedy.· Darkman is another example of this great tragedy.· Ireland at this period was suffering one of the greatest tragedies of its history - the Great Famine.· The outrage had been overshadowed by the greater tragedy of world events.
· Mr. Hinchliffe Has the Minister any understanding of the individual human tragedy of unemployment?· There is an enormous cost in terms of both human tragedy and the economic implications, through days lost through sickness and ill health.· The media avoided referring to the human tragedy of war.· To its shame, the international community has stood idly by and allowed this human tragedy to continue for far too long.· Price data can not capture the scale of the human tragedy unfolding across the developing world.
· It is a national tragedy for Britain.· Alcohol abuse has become a national tragedy, but for me it is a symptom of an even larger malaise.· It is possible to see this most clearly when some local or national tragedy occurs.· And because the country is so small, the nation does come together, especially in times of war or national tragedy.· Gordon Brown portrayed it as a national tragedy that Miss Spence had to apply instead to Harvard, where she was accepted.
· But I appreciate that every job lost is a personal tragedy for the person involved.· She said losing would be a personal tragedy.· Delight in his work shrouded personal tragedy.· On March 17, 1992, Rex and Betty Jo faced a terrible personal tragedy.· The deaths serve as a reminder that asthma is responsible for a continuing toll of personal tragedy.· Corry was affected by personal tragedy following the bombing.· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago but he remains with the orchestra.· Migration, for example, may be an enforced personal tragedy following persecution or a voluntary choice for a more prosperous life.
· It was his first real tragedy and he took it very badly.· Or, in a real tragedy, a key scaffold species may be globally extinct.· The real tragedy of Tony Bland is that he is in the public eye.· A real tragedy has taken place.
· More often, however, they haunt that person alone and by so doing indicate some terrible tragedy is imminent.· On March 17, 1992, Rex and Betty Jo faced a terrible personal tragedy.· They elope together, wander the country in search of work, and, finally, a terrible tragedy overtakes their children.
VERB· In a war, every family has some one fighting, and every night brings fresh tragedy to every community.
· Moreover they nearly always end in tragedy because the protagonists reach out in some way fur the unattainable.· So the Calydonian boar hunt ended in tragedy.· With your help we can end this needless tragedy.· These scenes heighten the tension and suggest that all will end in tragedy.· The ambition of those heady days had ended in tragedy, of course.
· The combination of all these factors led to the tragedy on pad 34.· Once again this low view of humankind led to tragedy.· He says that Murray always tried to help others, and it was doing just that which led to the tragedy.· The malign coincidence that led to the tragedy was made clear by accident investigators' measurements.· Confronting him and getting her money back leads to violence and tragedy.
· There is no clear professional accountability when tragedies occur although there are some signs of it emerging.· That same year, a minor tragedy occurred during a pre-game stunt.· What tragedies must occur before he and the Minister of State will change their minds?· It is possible to see this most clearly when some local or national tragedy occurs.· It senses the danger and almost instantaneously cuts off the power with a speed of reaction which can prevent a tragedy occurring.· The Stewarts had another residence, in Renfrewshire, and it was while they were visiting it that a tragedy occurred.· Yet such triumphant tragedies must needs occur.· Will he accept personal responsibility for any tragedies that occur in the meantime?
· Could she have prevented this latest tragedy?· How are we going to prevent such future tragedies?· It's hoped the system will prevent tragedies like the M50 murder.· They believe this is the sort of incident where the taser might come into its own to prevent a tragedy.· It senses the danger and almost instantaneously cuts off the power with a speed of reaction which can prevent a tragedy occurring.· We have the commitment and the skills to prevent many other tragedies, and to help casualties find love and happiness again.· It almost instantaneously cuts off the power, and can prevent a tragedy occurring.
· Although the innocent might suffer, such tragedies were often accepted philosophically as part of the divine will or punishment.· There is suffering and tragedy in this quirky love story as Toshi learns the truth of his parents' past.· Stotfield was not the only village to suffer tragedy this day.· Bad weather took more of a toll in our community and Derek Brown's family suffered a tragedy during one bad winter.· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago but he remains with the orchestra.· Father-of-two Mr Weddle's former wife, Jacqueline Dearden, 41, has suffered nightmares since the tragedy.
· And so once again, Oklahomans are determined to turn a tragedy into a triumph.
The tragedy happened as they were returning home from a night out. Tragedy struck the family when their two-year-old son was killed in an accident.2[countable] informal something that seems very sad and unnecessary because something will be wasted, lost, or harmed: It’s a tragedy to see so much talent going to waste.3a)[countable] a serious play or book that ends sadly, especially with the death of the main character: ‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies. b)[uncountable] this type of play or book: an actor specializing in tragedyCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa terrible/great tragedy· His death is a terrible tragedy for his family.an awful/appalling tragedy (=very unpleasant and shocking)· This is an appalling tragedy which will haunt us for the rest of our lives.a personal tragedy· He suffered a great personal tragedy two years ago when his son died suddenly.a human tragedy· The UN wants to see an end to the conflict and the human tragedy involved.verbsa tragedy happens/occurs· The tragedy happened shortly before 5pm on Saturday.a tragedy unfolds· When you visit the country, you begin to appreciate the size of the tragedy that is unfolding.tragedy strikes (=happens suddenly)· Just when it looked as though everything would turn out right, tragedy struck and Jenny developed a fatal illness.end in tragedy· The all-night fishing trip ended in tragedy for the four men after their boat ran aground.avert/avoid a tragedy (=prevent it from happening)· The owners could have done something to avert the tragedy.