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
Her mother, Amirah Sharhan, has said the traumatic assault has caused her daughter emotional distress, including nightmares and a fear of strangers.
—
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 6 Nov. 2025
This is obviously so traumatic to her.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The Ada County Coroner’s Office said in April that Masson died of traumatic blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was listed as an accident.
—Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
Phobias can develop for a number of reasons, including genetic predispositions, environmental factors including traumatic experiences, learning from caregivers and hearing about scary situations.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 6 Nov. 2025
This is obviously so traumatic to her.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The Ada County Coroner’s Office said in April that Masson died of traumatic blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was listed as an accident.
—Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
Phobias can develop for a number of reasons, including genetic predispositions, environmental factors including traumatic experiences, learning from caregivers and hearing about scary situations.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
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
-
The groundbreaking research penetrated the last moments of the young nobleman, who suffered a terrible 26 blows.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
History is full of cases where great bands make terrible records, yet history stands speechless at what the Clash accomplished here.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Strand shares that the mere thought of replacing a roof shortly after moving in can be overwhelming for buyers and is often what leads to lower offers or buyers walking away all together.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The overwhelming majority of the students are economically disadvantaged and predominantly Hispanic, TEA data shows.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Compared to the swooning Gothic romance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein is just too perverse — in an unsettling way.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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At the same time, the detective assigned to the case begins to uncover secrets about Scout, along with an unsettling breakthrough in Georgia’s death.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Hoosiers, of course, are the prime example of a longtime awful football program rising to the top.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Mamdani hasn’t had time yet to flesh out his awful, socialist ideas into real policies that adversely affect New Yorkers.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For reasons that are quite possibly too unbearable to contemplate, a large group of American voters was not repulsed by such slander—they were actually aroused by it—and our politics have not been the same.—
Jeffrey Goldberg,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The 2025-26 cycle, in its early stages, has also mobilized students, laborers, women, and ethnic minorities, suggesting the potential for broader mobilization amid unbearable economic conditions.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Despite already having declared her candidacy, McKnight voiced disturbing and violent threats against Sheehy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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This story contains a description of a shooting some readers may find disturbing.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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