1an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe:a tragedy that killed 95 people [mass noun]:his life had been plagued by tragedy
2a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character:Shakespeare’s tragedies
[mass noun] the dramatic genre represented by tragedies:Greek tragedyCompare with comedy.
