TRAGEDY

[noun] - a very sad event or situation, esp. one involving death or suffering, or a play or literature about death or sufferingThe Holocaust is one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known. [C]The pilot averted a tragedy when he succeeded in preventing the plane from crashing. [C]Hitler's invasion of Poland led to the tragedy of the Second World War. [C]Seeing so many disasters on television makes us less sensitive to human tragedy and suffering. [U]His life was touched by hardship and personal tragedy. [U]They had only recently arrived in London when tragedy struck in the form of their son being killed in an accident. [U]It's a tragedy (that) so many young people are unable to find jobs. [C + (that) clause]Shakespeare's tragedies (= plays about suffering that end sadly) include 'Hamlet', 'King Lear' and 'Othello'. [C]In Greek tragedy (= plays about death or suffering), the role of the chorus is to express the audience's reactions to what is happening in the play. [U]The play is a combination of tragedy and farce/comedy. [U]