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
Though scientists first speculated that his death was caused by an animal attack, the claims were never investigated until recently, when researchers reanalyzed the lesions and traumatic injuries using a technique called optic magnification.
—
Sara Novak, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2026
Princess Kate is patron of the organization working across England, Wales, and the Isle of Man to protect children and support adults, working with families that have experienced adversity, abuse and traumatic bereavement.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Nagahisa and regular cinematographer Hiroaki Takeda capture these traumatic moments as frames within frames — doorways, mirrors, and corners as small windows seen at a distance — vertical rectangles like phone screens.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Jane DeLynn’s autobiographical novel In Thrall recounts a same-sex affair between a teenager and her closeted English teacher in the early 1960s, a time when exposure could be more traumatic than exploitation.
—Regina Marler, The New York Review of Books, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Sara Novak, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2026
Princess Kate is patron of the organization working across England, Wales, and the Isle of Man to protect children and support adults, working with families that have experienced adversity, abuse and traumatic bereavement.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Nagahisa and regular cinematographer Hiroaki Takeda capture these traumatic moments as frames within frames — doorways, mirrors, and corners as small windows seen at a distance — vertical rectangles like phone screens.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2026
Jane DeLynn’s autobiographical novel In Thrall recounts a same-sex affair between a teenager and her closeted English teacher in the early 1960s, a time when exposure could be more traumatic than exploitation.
—Regina Marler, The New York Review of Books, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic
Adjective
-
Are there horrible smells wafting around?—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Proper skin preparation is key to making your wax sessions less painful.—
Tatayana Yomary,
Essence,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The high fevers, hospitalizations, and dehydration that these illnesses cause can be painful and disruptive—and, with vaccines, avoidable.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Huw is also a terrible planner, placing himself in dangerous situations for no discernible reason, refusing to ask for help or call the police at times when calling the police is the most glaringly obvious move, and generally not communicating with anyone.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
At age 55, Riggle once suffered through decades of heartbreak and terrible Chiefs teams.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The pace of innovation was overwhelming, but the most important takeaway was not any single product or platform.—
Phil Kafarakis,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
His goal wasn’t to lower the bar out of resignation that the demands of parenting are too overwhelming.—
Danielle Marie Holland,
Parents,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
On the unsettling meme economy in the aftermath of violence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Uncertainty can be unsettling nonetheless.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Pasquantino later deleted the post, likely because fans noted his expectation about the awful things the Royals could theoretically say about him.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
28 Jan. 2026
-
His administration’s actions in Minneapolis have been awful.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest protests in Iran began in late December over unbearable economic conditions and the collapse of the national currency, the rial.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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They were terrified that their children would be drafted; apartheid had become unbearable.—
Eve Fairbanks,
The Dial,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
According to The Marshall Project, federal officers fired on at least nine people in their vehicles over a four-month period, evidence of a disturbing pattern.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Zhang was quickly identified as a suspect based on her allegedly increasingly disturbing behavior, according to authorities.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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