German Conversation · Level 18
90 words
German word
Tragödie
Pronunciation
IPA/tʁaˈgøːdi̯ə/
Meaning
- feminine nountragedy
Example
Sein Fehler war eine Tragödie.
His mistake was a tragedy.
More examples
Die Feier schlug plötzlich in eine Tragödie um.
The celebration suddenly turned into a tragedy.
Core concept
A human story moves from serious conflict toward ruin, whether presented in a theater or used for a disastrous event.
Common phrases
eine Tragödie des Alltags
a tragedy of everyday life
in eine Tragödie umschlagen
turn into a tragedy
als Tragödie empfunden
perceived as a tragedy
Similar words
Drama: A play or film centered on characters' struggles and emotional lives.
Unglück: A misfortune that brings harm or hardship to an individual or group.
Katastrophe: A catastrophic event causing great destruction across a broad area or population.
Definition in German
Ein ernstes Theaterstück, das menschliches Leid und häufig den Untergang einer oder mehrerer Figuren darstellt.
Word origin
The German noun came through the learned European tradition from Latin tragoedia, which derives from Greek tragōidia for tragic drama.
Usage tips
- Calling an ordinary mishap eine Tragödie sounds strongly emotional in German, while a major disaster can naturally receive this label.
Other meanings
- disasternoun
Opposites
- Komödiecomedynoun
Related words
- tragikomischtragicomicadjective
- Tragiktragic qualitynoun