TRAUMATIC Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

traumatic

adjective

Definition of traumatic

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 After such traumatic, unprovoked attacks, Iraqi Kurdistan would doubtlessly welcome any opportunity to acquire air defenses for self-protection. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Her death is being investigated as a homicide due to traumatic injuries, but no one has yet been charged, and officials are still determining the cause of death, Major Crimes Division Cmdr. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 20 July 2026 What happened in Atlanta was so traumatic that, even three days on, its effects are still being felt. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 19 July 2026 On July 6, Luna Mae was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital after a bystander found her with traumatic injuries and two broken legs. — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for traumatic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic

Adjective

My husband holds the pamphlet close to his face in bed the next morning, my light creating a horrible glare on the glossy paper.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
The family wants to have accountability for this horrible crime.

— Eric Shawn, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

For five years running, Americans have had to live with wallet-fleecing, budget-busting, paycheck-eating inflation – including a painful stretch where the pace of price hikes hit a 40-year high.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
Many who are bitten never develop an allergic reaction at all, while others become so sensitive that merely smelling hamburger smoke can set off a painful response.

— Andy Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 25 July 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

With this World Cup and its even bigger numbers, overwhelming media coverage and an American team that actually came with expectations, doors were knocked down.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Given the propensity of today to look a lot like yesterday, the odds that tomorrow will look like today are overwhelming.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026

Definition of overwhelming

Adjective

But now, the idyllic Mississippi island is overcast with an unsettling pall after the death of 18-year-old Nolan Wells.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 18 July 2026
Below, Entertainment Weekly looks back at eight other unsettling encounters celebrities have had while on the job.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

Torres – one of Barcelona’s key men up front – had been having an awful tournament, missing a plethora of chances throughout Spain’s campaign and being benched after starting against Cape Verde.

— Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
In a clearing in the forest, his younger selves sit at a long table with the abbott, who is wearing the final boss of season three’s awful wigs.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

The weight of the job, undertaken since 2017, sounded unbearable.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 July 2026
And once again, survivors are left behind, with their truth, their trauma, and the unbearable frustration of a system that never seems to deliver justice.

— Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 22 July 2026

Definition of unbearable

Adjective

Stuck together, wandering through thick green woods for days, the conversation between Sam and Paul drifts in an increasingly disturbing direction.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Wilde noted how Musk has perpetuated some of incel culture’s more disturbing ideology, particularly the belief that men are more powerful than nature.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 22 July 2026

Definition of disturbing

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trashy

traumatic

traumatically

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“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of traumatic

adjective

Example Sentences

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