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 There were lengthy discussions about whether, when and how the TV networks should show other potentially traumatic content, like videos of the planes hitting the towers. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 Together but afraid Separation from parents is traumatic for children and can lead to lifelong health problems, including anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and learning difficulties. — Claudia Boyd-Barrett, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026 In the classroom, social and emotional learning is embedded into the day‘s lessons, staff have been trained on helping students exposed to traumatic experiences, and counseling services are available. — Francesca Pinney, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 New Jersey is the second-happiest state, with the lowest share of people reporting traumatic events during their childhood and the fifth-highest life satisfaction rate. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 8 Sep. 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
  • Turkish football is a chaotic, infuriating, sometimes horrible but always entertaining place.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The defense says their client had no control over her fatal actions despite the clear planning of the horrible event.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Sep. 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
  • McDaniel is an expert communicator — and terrible at communicating with modern devices.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Before the terrible day was over firehouses, street corners and parks became mourning places.
    — Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 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
  • There, Musk’s disturbing lack of empathy would glory in slashing jobs and spending, including on the vital USAID.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That part is too real, too disturbing, and Barrett’s hollow script avoids tackling the subject head on.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 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 14 Sep. 2026.

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