triggered

adjective

trig·​gered ˈtri-gər 

1

a

: released, initiated, or set off by a trigger

a triggered alert

A triggered fire alarm around 5 a.m. Sunday led Denver firefighters and Colorado troopers to the Capitol where they discovered at least three bronze busts of former lawmakers had been vandalized.

—Rob Low

b

: equipped with a trigger

a triggered mechanism

2

a

: occurring in response to a stimulus typically perceived as negative or harmful

Triggered reactions can be intense and unpleasant, and may even overtake our consciousness, as with a flashback experienced by a war veteran.

—Kate Manne

As the body moves quickly, the heart rate and breath speed up, which also occurs during a triggered "fight or flight" reaction.

—Lindsey Pearson

b

: caused to feel an intense and usually negative emotional reaction : affected by an emotional trigger

Triggered people often feel guilt or anger at themselves afterwards, so don't contribute to that cycle of thought.

—JR Thorpe

Examples of triggered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After an incident with a triggered student, he’s asked to take a leave of absence and heads to a book festival in his hometown of Boston, with an extended stay tacked on. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2023

The area is hazardous with lots of terrain that could be considered risky for a triggered or natural avalanche, said Mark Gunlogson, owner of Mountain Madness, a mountaineering company based in Seattle. —Paige Cornwell, Anchorage Daily News, 22 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1b