Synonyms for tragic
- adjective
Most common
All synonyms
Adjective
1. Sad — causing great sadness or suffering
sad, shocking, mournful, calamitous, sorrowful, lamentable, depressing, deplorable, grievous, upsetting, distressing, wretched, dismal, pitiful, unhappy, rueful, miserable dated
Definitions
- adj. 1
Causing great sadness or suffering.
Her father's early death was tragic.
Related words
- Word family
- tragicomic tragical
- Phrases
- tragic flaw
Example sentences
- shocking An opinion is shocking only if it is a conviction.
- mournful Tom stood at the window with a mournful expression on his face.
- lamentable And now let's discuss the lamentable state of affairs.
- fatal Make the best of one's lot with fatal resignation.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| tragic | steady | |
| shocking | rising | |
| mournful | rising | |
| lamentable | falling | |
| calamitous | steady | |
| fatal | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- sad1
- 5 letters
- fatal2
- 6 letters
- dismal2, rueful2
- 7 letters
- unhappy3, pitiful3
- 8 letters
- shocking2, wretched2, grievous2, mournful2, tragical, buskined
- 9 letters
- miserable4, upsetting3, sorrowful3
- 10 letters
- depressing3, deplorable4, lamentable4, calamitous4
- 11 letters
- distressing3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (fatal2 = 2 syllables).