Words / H / General

hamartia

noun/ˌhɑːmɑːˈtiːə/

C2CEFR level
90/100Rarity: very rare
TechnicalRegister

The fatal flaw or error of judgement that precipitates a tragic hero's downfall.

Ambition is the hamartia that drives Macbeth to regicide and ruin.

Topic: Literature & the arts in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Literature & the arts