as in hamartia
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Recent Examples of tragic flaw
Transit improvements will also give many residents better opportunities for jobs, because transportation will not be their tragic flaw.
—
Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2025
The diva must have great dignity, but also a tragic flaw.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Many people think of parent-child relationships as the most formative ones—the source of attachment styles, daddy issues, tragic flaws.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2024
The political actors onstage in Milwaukee wore their tragic flaws on their sleeves.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Thomas is selfless and fearless in his quest to do good, but his tragic flaws of hubris, stubbornness and self-destructiveness become his undoing.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2023
His obsession proved his tragic flaw.
—Pablo Sandoval, Variety, 3 Oct. 2022
Yet that benefit concealed a tragic flaw.
—Maryn McKenna, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2022
That tendency toward self-critique may ultimately have been the tragic flaw of Menand’s midcentury creatives.
—Beverly Gage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tragic flaw
Noun
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Kennedy’s ruthlessness and ambition—which are treated as the Kennedys’ hamartia in Chappaquiddick—are swept under the rug of his compassion.—
Noun
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Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady, now, is poised to once again exploit the Broncos’ soft spots.—
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There's no love lost for Kiffin with Rebels fans, or even their players, but Kiffin appears to still have a soft spot for the football program.—
Noun
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And amid all of the Niners’ other concerns, that could be their most significant undoing.—
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When healthy, Mizell was a factor, but nagging injuries were his undoing at UF.—
Cite this Entry
“Tragic flaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tragic%20flaw. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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