as in horrible
causing great and lasting pain or distress
The family struggled to cope with the traumatic experience of losing their home.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of traumatic
The report from the OCME reportedly indicated that Gittings was brought to Hartford Hospital via Life Star in hemorrhagic shock with obvious traumatic injuries to the left lower extremity including a near amputation.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
The coroner listed Hawkins’ cause of death as traumatic blunt force injuries and the manner of death as accidental.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
Bernthal and Affleck reprise their roles as the estranged siblings whose traumatic childhood somehow led them into adjacent lines of business.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2025
Though Ascher treats this as a happy ending, his real intent throughout the film seems to be focused on putting us through the traumatic saga Pistorius underwent throughout much of his formative years.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
The coroner listed Hawkins’ cause of death as traumatic blunt force injuries and the manner of death as accidental.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 12 Mar. 2025
Bernthal and Affleck reprise their roles as the estranged siblings whose traumatic childhood somehow led them into adjacent lines of business.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2025
Though Ascher treats this as a happy ending, his real intent throughout the film seems to be focused on putting us through the traumatic saga Pistorius underwent throughout much of his formative years.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic
Adjective
-
Lillard’s blood clot diagnosis continues a horrible stretch of injuries that has limited the Bucks’ ability to chase postseason glory since the Bucks ended the franchise’s 50-year championship drought by winning the 2021 NBA title.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Those plans are HMOs and many of us remember how horrible those were, denying service, or stalling approval.—
Ticked Off,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The recent swoon, while painful for current shareholders, has driven the headline yield up to 6% and has driven valuations down—NOG trades for 7 times earnings estimates and at a low price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 0.56 (anything below 1 is considered to be undervalued).—
Brett Owens,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
Even the indoor scenes were painful because you’re locked inside that heat.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The boys now harbor a terrible secret of their own.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
-
But the point is, every team has a few terrible losses in the course of a season.—
Josh Yohe,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
For Damon, there’s at least one reason why the messages can be so overwhelming for some of the Wayans.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
-
Now, though, four weeks on and after two further major meetings of European leaders, the overwhelming sense is that of a process inexorably slowing down.—
Andrew Carey,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Given that feeling competent in one’s work is one of the three basic psychological human needs, this may be unsettling for some.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
-
The thought of spending months on end in the sweltering heat is very unsettling for me.—
Sherry Kuehl,
Kansas City Star,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To have hate at such a young age for another student is awful.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2025
-
But against lefties, while hitting from the righty batter's box, Cabrera has been downright awful, with a .562 OPS and anemic .209 batting average in 187 career plate appearances.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe are fearless in Robert Eggers’ black-and-white nightmare about two New England lighthouse keepers who learn that nothing is scarier than being trapped with someone unbearable.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
17 Mar. 2025
-
If your mattress has become unbearable to sleep on, a quality mattress topper is a cost-effective way to give your bed an additional layer of comfort.—
Toni Sutton,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Other times, Claude’s mental activity seems super disturbing and maybe even dangerous.—
Steven Levy,
Wired News,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Just as disturbing and bizarre, at least one juror originally didn’t want to convict Zeigler at all and didn’t vote to do so until after that same judge ordered the bailiff to give her a Valium.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share