traumatize

1 of 2

verb

trau·​ma·​tize ˈtrȯ-mə-ˌtīz 

also

ˈtrau̇- 

traumatized; traumatizing

transitive verb

: to inflict a trauma upon

traumatization

ˌtrȯ-mə-tə-ˈzā-shən 

also

ˌtrau̇- 

noun

traumatization

2 of 2

noun

trau·​ma·​ti·​za·​tion ˌtrȯmə|tə̇ˈzāshən 

ˌtrau̇m-, 

|tə̇ˈz-, 

|tˌīˈz-, 

|ˌtīˈz-

plural -s

: the act or process of traumatizing

Examples of traumatize in a Sentence

Verb

He was traumatized by the experience.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Rachel Maulson said her children are traumatized by the incident. — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Israelis, freshly traumatized, viewed Qatar as their enemy’s patron. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

The girl got off the school bus and was walking home along North Shore Road when a car hit her and took off, leaving her and her family traumatized. — Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

This take on the classic brings the drama to Nigeria, where the veteran Septimus is traumatized not by the trenches but his time spent fighting the Boko Haram insurgency. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for traumatize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

traumatize

verb

trau·​ma·​tize ˈtrau̇-mə-ˌtīz 

ˈtrȯ-

traumatized; traumatizing

: to inflict trauma upon

was traumatized by the accident

Medical Definition

traumatize

transitive verb

trau·​ma·​tize

variants also British traumatise

-ˌtīz 

traumatized also British traumatised; traumatizing also British traumatising

: to inflict a trauma upon

traumatized tissues

children traumatized by physical abuse

traumatization noun

also British traumatisation

ˌtrȯ-mət-ə-ˈzā-shən  ˌtrau̇-