2
general::
noun event/situation that causes great sadness ADJ. absolute, appalling, awful, great, major, real, terrible | family, human, personal, private VERB + TRAGEDY end in A family's outing ended in tragedy when their boat capsized. | be dogged by, suffer | avert, avoid, prevent TRAGEDY + VERB happen, occur, strike (sb) Tragedy struck when their 8-year-old daughter was knocked down by a car. PREP. ~ for sb The closure of the factory is a tragedy for the whole community. serious play with a sad ending ADJ. classical, Greek, Jacobean, Shakespearean
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
tragedy
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.
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