traumatic

adjective

Definition of traumaticnext
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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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 Some opponents of the bill are worried about the idea of the state collecting such data given the traumatic history of the Nazi government keeping records of Jews during the Holocaust. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 An entity behind the disturbance grows increasingly fixated on the family’s daughter, prompting two paranormal investigators to dig into what becomes a traumatic case. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 His causes of death were blunt-force trauma and traumatic asphyxia, Matis’ arrest report read. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 The Bush frontman first met Kaya at Los Angeles Animal Services’ East Valley Animal Shelter, where the dog had already experienced a traumatic past. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic
  1. horrible
  2. painful
  3. terrible
  4. overwhelming
  5. unsettling
  6. awful
  7. unbearable
  8. disturbing
Adjective
  • Anne Hathaway is a leftist, woke, horrible choice for DAYS OF THUNDER NASCAR audience who are MAGA.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
  • These two rubber bands in our throat are affected by everything from hormones to psychology to a bad day to a horrible night’s sleep to the sniffles or whatever.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • For the film, Hossain said that Badhon called in her real doctor to inject her during a scene where her character undergoes painful platelet-rich plasma injections.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And meager pay raises have made rising prices more painful for many.
    — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • Whether the outcome will be terrible or beautiful is unclear.
    — Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Feral pigeons are famously terrible nest builders and are drawn to buildings and roofs with features like solar panels, chimneys, eaves, and AC units to make their homes.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • The overwhelming response from our community reflects the strength of pairing On’s innovative heritage with our deep understanding of women and our passion for blending function with style.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Miami was voted as the overwhelming favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Adjective
  • The tiny farming settlement of Poilley, in Brittany, would become her home for the next eight years, and the subject of more than 50,000 intimate, often unsettling photographs.
    — Felix Bazalgette, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And an overture from an ABC exec (Jessica Hecht) to Andie to jump ship represents another kind of unsettling grooming.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • To Morrison, as well as to the filmmakers, this awful backstory makes something cathartic of his accomplishment.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
  • So the fact that there was this whole section of gay actors who weren’t allowed to do that is awful.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • The temperature on Monday reached 81 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening with an average humidity level of 72 percent — warm but not unbearable.
    — Aaron Short, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For people prone to motion sickness, a phone can go from useful to unbearable fast.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of unbearable
Adjective
  • The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
  • You might be surprised by just how disturbing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains more than 50 years later.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing

Browse Nearby Words

trashy
traumatic
traumatically
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Cite this Entry

“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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