as in horrible
causing great and lasting pain or distress
The family struggled to cope with the traumatic experience of losing their home.
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Recent Examples of traumatic
Her mother, Amirah Sharhan, has said the traumatic assault has caused her daughter emotional distress, including nightmares and a fear of strangers.
—
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 6 Nov. 2025
This is obviously so traumatic to her.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The Ada County Coroner’s Office said in April that Masson died of traumatic blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was listed as an accident.
—Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
Phobias can develop for a number of reasons, including genetic predispositions, environmental factors including traumatic experiences, learning from caregivers and hearing about scary situations.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 6 Nov. 2025
This is obviously so traumatic to her.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The Ada County Coroner’s Office said in April that Masson died of traumatic blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was listed as an accident.
—Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
Phobias can develop for a number of reasons, including genetic predispositions, environmental factors including traumatic experiences, learning from caregivers and hearing about scary situations.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic
Adjective
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The New York native collected Golden Globe and Spirit awards for her performance as the title character, an aging Czechoslovakian actress forced to take a stand-in job in a horrible off-Broadway play, in Anna.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
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Gano opening up about this comes on a horrible day for the football world after Dallas Cowboys second-year linebacker Marshawn Kneeland died by suicide at the age of 24.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Ember Leonara, 36, tells Rolling Stone that coming out as transgender this year led to painful rifts in her life.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
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But the track record is mixed—SoftBank’s backing of WeWork ended in a high-profile collapse, and the premature exit from Nvidia has become a painful reminder of opportunities lost.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
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History is full of cases where great bands make terrible records, yet history stands speechless at what the Clash accomplished here.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Russia’s aerial assault on Ukraine has shown that the most surefire way to strike sensitive targets is by overwhelming sophisticated Western air defense systems with cheaper munitions such as drones so that more powerful ballistic missiles can hit their targets, experts say.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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In New York City, Mamdani won overwhelming support from the youngest voters, earning 78 percent of their votes.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Compared to the swooning Gothic romance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein is just too perverse — in an unsettling way.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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At the same time, the detective assigned to the case begins to uncover secrets about Scout, along with an unsettling breakthrough in Georgia’s death.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Pelicans have gotten off to an awful start, boasting an NBA-worst 0-6 record.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Humans can be awful, is one answer.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In India, farmers, builders and factory workers are losing wages and facing health risks due to unbearable heat.—
Vanessa Kerry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing unbearable intrusions from the British press and a lack of support from the palace.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Despite already having declared her candidacy, McKnight voiced disturbing and violent threats against Sheehy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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This story contains a description of a shooting some readers may find disturbing.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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