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
Hannah Murray is reflecting on her traumatic time spent living in a cult.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Inside the home, deputies found Karen Whitaker and Donald Whitaker, who were 79 and 80, with traumatic injuries.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Tara is recovering and asks for privacy during this traumatic time.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 22 May 2026
Authorities found the couple suffering from traumatic injuries.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Inside the home, deputies found Karen Whitaker and Donald Whitaker, who were 79 and 80, with traumatic injuries.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Tara is recovering and asks for privacy during this traumatic time.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 22 May 2026
Authorities found the couple suffering from traumatic injuries.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The result was a painful correction.—
Robert Ginsburg,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
The most painful part of the quarter-long dry spell was that Oklahoma City seemed to have all the answers during San Antonio’s explosive first half.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mayor and Governor are terrible.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
-
From scandals, to corny tactics and platforms, to terrible analysis, this gubernatorial race has been a contest to forget.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
At one of these concrete pool facilities, the petroleum smell was overwhelming for several hundred metres either side of the compound.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Instead, New York responded with overwhelming physical dominance.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Once her own pregnancy began, stepping away from work initially felt unfamiliar and slightly unsettling.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
-
On the opposite side, the Passion façade is stark, angular and unsettling by comparison, telling a very different part of the Christian story in a completely different visual language.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Some predict ‘awful consequences’ However, the US has its own specialized network of hospitals that are highly equipped to treat Ebola patients that some experts say would be much better utilized.—
Jamie Gumbrecht,
CNN Money,
27 May 2026
-
Lean says the experience had an awful effect on him, filling him with shame and a reluctance to direct again.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rejane Faria brought a powerful sense of truth to this character, delicately balancing all the nuances of a woman carrying an unbearable grief, yet still searching for a way to keep going and reconcile with herself.—
Marcelo Cajueiro,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Not just because the grief was unbearable.—
Nitin Murali,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
OpenAI had previously flagged her ChatGPT conversations as having a disturbing fascination with extreme violence, and suspended her account, but reportedly the company did not notify law enforcement.—
Anat Lior,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
In an hour-and-a-half interview with the New York Times Popcast that dropped on Thursday, Rodrigo staunchly defended the dress and called the criticism disturbing.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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