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... because oxymoron just doesn't seem to be enough.

The term: tragic mishap

Ok, admittedly I'm trying to correct someone and I want to be absolutely sure that I know what I'm talking about. I understand that this definitely fits for oxymoron. However, calling it such would indicate intent.

I know this particular writer didn't intend to use this for any kind of effect. I know this because it was used in a list.

Yes. A list. On paper. Titled, "#getmylifetogether". As in, "stop dwelling on my tragic mishaps" It was right after "organize suitcases in trunk" and right before, "quit shooting meth". I'm not kidding.

This wording make my skin crawl and gives me a migraine.

Anyone?

Michelle
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    Deleted my editorial - I might find a better way. Dropping eggs because you sneeze is a mishap. Someone dying from an unexpected event is a tragedy. If somehow eggs dropping after a sneeze led to a chain of events that caused a death, that might be a tragic mishap. A sneeze is not suddenly a larger moral mistake because of the ramifications of the sneeze. Now, perhaps there were people who dropped the ball and didn't foresee that someone sneezing might knock over a ladder that broke a cord that let a piece of scaffolding fall from the sky... but ... still a tragic mishap ? – Tom22 Apr 18 '18 at 04:55
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    There's nothing wrong with the wording, other than that it might not be accurate in the context where your friend has used it. Sounds like "mistake" would be accurate, the current phrase sounds like an attempt to dodge responsibility. Related: https://english.stackexchange.com/a/337215/3540 If the event being discussed was indeed beyond the writer's control, then the current wording is fine. – Ben Voigt Apr 18 '18 at 04:58
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    I fail to see how "tragic mishaps" is an oxymoron at all. – Paul Childs Apr 18 '18 at 05:05
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    The inane reasoning that addicts use in their final months of their downward spiral are often a series of tragic mishaps ... getting alcohol poisoning from drinking a load of mini mouthwash bottles stolen from a hotel cart would be a tragic mishap for instance. ... but less odd ones too, finding a 5$ bill in right in front of a bar after 6 months of sobriety and taking it as a "symbol that they ought to have a free drink as a reward for their good discipline" is another tragic mishap – Tom22 Apr 18 '18 at 05:18
  • All my examples were unusual, but, I'm not sure a mishap even needs to be inane. A mis-dialed number and a machine left on the wrong voicemail that led to a lack of action and resulting death be a tragic mishap too without sneezes or odd behavior. – Tom22 Apr 18 '18 at 05:28
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    I don't think the OP is alone though. I have noticed that use of the word "mistake"is evolving from "Something I know I should have done differently" to what we used to call an "accident" . An "accident" now only applies to things that didn't do much harm, not an error that an average person could make with normal attention. Some how I do thing the language is shifting words like accident and mistake in ways that "explanation" has come to mean "denying responsibility" – Tom22 Apr 18 '18 at 05:50
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    I don’t think it’s an oxymoron so much as an exaggeration. In the context, the author is dwelling on mishaps, or "bad" things that have happened (to him). Not necessarily mistakes. But in the process of dwelling, these mishaps have become tragic. Like "turning a mountain into a molehill". Given the context, I think it’s an appropriate device. – Pam Apr 18 '18 at 07:17

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Possibly consider "tragic actions" or "tragic consequences". The use of "tragic" in the original term is appropriate. I am not sure if you want the requested term to encompass more "blame for" or "responsibility for" happenings, but terms such as "actions" or "consequences" seem more fitting in a neutral sense. Actions and consequences certainly may be unintended and seems to be at the heart of the intended meaning here.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/consequence

user22542
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