tragical
adjEtymology Ultimately from Ancient Greek τραγικός (tragikós) + Latin -ālis. By surface analysis, tragic + -al.
1
Archaic Tragic
- We shall not describe this tragical scene too fully; but we thought ourselves obliged, by that historic integrity which we profess, shortly to hint a matter which we would otherwise have been glad to have spared.1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
- Fortunately the illness passed away without serious consequences; yet it seemed the first break in our festivities, and was followed by an event of a most tragical nature.1898, Liliʻuokalani, “Kamehameha IV”, in Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen, Boston, Massachusetts, United States: Lee and Shephard Publishers, page 18:
1 more example
- No statesman who has the least conception of responsibility ought for a moment to permit himself to continue this tragical and appalling outpouring of blood and treasure […]1918, Woodrow Wilson, Address to the Joint Session of Congress on the Fourteen Points:
- Derived terms
- comico-tragical, hypertragical, supertragical, tragicality, tragicalness, untragical