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    tragedy

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    tragedy
    tra‧ge‧dy /ˈtrædʒədi, ˈtrædʒɪdi/ noun (plural tragedies)
     Date: 1300-1400
     Language: Old French
     Origin: tragedie, from Latin, from Greek tragoidia, probably from tragos 'goat' + aeidein 'to sing'
    1. [uncountable and countable] a very sad event, that shocks people because it involves death:
        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.
    3.
      a. [countable] a serious play or book that ends sadly, especially with the death of the main character ⇨ comedy:
        ‘Hamlet’ is one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies.
      b. [uncountable] this type of play or book:
        an actor specializing in tragedy
         
    COLLOCATIONS
    ■ adjectives
       ▪ a 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.
    ■ verbs
       ▪ a 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.
         
    THESAURUS
       ▪ disaster 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.
       ▪ catastrophe 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.
       ▪ tragedy 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
       ▪ debacle 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.