tragic flaw
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˈtrædʒɪk flɔː/
- Literature
:
falla trágica
- Every great story features a hero with a tragic flaw that leads to their failure.
The problem, as I suspected from the beginning of the De Santis campaign, is that Governor De Santis strengths were going to be his tragic flaw.
- The problem, as I suspected from the beginning of the De Santis campaign, is that Governor De Santis strengths were going to be his tragic flaw.
- You know, those who are used to Greek tragedy think in terms of like hubris being this, you know, tragic flaw of reaching too high and, you know, failing in the process.
- Like David Starr, Jordan, right, who had tremendous strengths and gifts and then these tragic flaw right in his work on eugenics.
Examples
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My point is that it perfectly dramatizes the tragic flaw in Romney's candidacy.
Blog text (23) -
It was the tragic flaw in my plan.
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A really good and cool guy who comes apart due to a tragic flaw.
Blog text (5) -
My tragic flaw is I'm too romantic a character.
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It is their one weakness- their tragic flaw.
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I thought, "She's very pretty, but somewhere there's a tragic flaw."
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Madame bovary was undone by a tragic flaw.
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His one tragic flaw is a weakness for women—one that's led to several failed marriages and a bunch of alimony payments.
Blog text (13) -
In the tragic play, the hero's tragic flaw led to his ultimate demise.
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Othello's tragic flaw was his jealousy, which ultimately caused his downfall.
Synonyms
344
1.7
A fault in a person or thing that makes them less effective
113
3.3
A weakness in a person's character that causes problems
11
6.3
A small but serious weakness in someone or something that can cause failure
1
9.9
A character flaw that brings a tragic hero to ruin
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly built from 'tragic' (relating to tragedy) modifying 'flaw' (a defect), so its meaning — a character defect that leads to a tragic outcome or downfall — is predictable from the parts. This adjective + noun composition follows normal English semantics and has clear parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase tragic flaw comes from old plays about heroes who were ruined by one personal weakness. The word tragic points to the sad end and flaw is that weak spot, so today the phrase means a character fault that leads to someone's 'downfall'.