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

Teacher of 19 years used to be able to help traumatized students without falling into despair. — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2026

In music class, all the students are made to sing a song in front of their peers, because being 15 isn’t traumatizing enough already. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026

Some of the crew still see the show as something to be proud of, even if the contestants were traumatized by it. — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026

She was traumatized by her arrest and filed a lawsuit to prevent other unlawful arrests. — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 2 Oct. 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-