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 Opioids can play an important role in treating severe acute pain, including pain following major surgery or serious traumatic injuries. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 26 Oct. 2026 Returning to form after such a traumatic injury is no small task. — Pj Green october 25, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026 Bezy died inside the home of blunt-force trauma and traumatic asphyxia, according to Matis’ arrest report. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Another on-ramp to the fragile pathway is a childhood of abuse, neglect, or other recurring traumatic experiences. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 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
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The heartwarming film takes us on a ride through archive and new footage and rehearsals and re-enactments of Happy Gays that bring up happy but also painful memories, along with a different side of the at times curmudgeonly Jolanda.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
  • For the third time in two seasons, Sam is forced to sever a relationship, and this one may be the most painful, the most cruel, because in killing Jerry, Sam is destroying potential.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of painful
Adjective
  • The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrible
Adjective
  • Václav Široký During totality, the moon blocks the overwhelming glare of the solar disk, revealing delicate structures in the sun’s outer atmosphere, the corona.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026
  • That was the overwhelming message from a recent taster session of the upcoming Munich Fabric Start trade show, which kicks off in January.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Adjective
  • But after discovering an unsettling antique portrait of a mysterious pioneer woman, their idyllic retreat begins to unravel.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Her dangling tongue, tuft of Troll doll-esque blond hair, and pink ribbon juxtaposed with an occasional top hat give her a quirky, sometimes unsettling charm.
    — Jennifer Byrne, Popular Science, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • Losing to the Tampa Bay Bucs starting an undrafted rookie quarterback was awful, and gagging the home game in overtime to the Awful Arizona Cardinals was worse; coming back in the fourth quarter to beat the Colts is almost just as bad.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The only sign his group was listening to the awful things their friend/boss/son was being accused of was the very active facial expressions of Brand’s wife, Laura.
    — Luke Jones, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • But, just as her grief becomes unbearable, a jarring image intervenes.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The Kansas City home game was hot but not unbearable, which was also the case for the Cincinnati home game.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of unbearable
Adjective
  • Gainey could not be reached for comment, but while the current O'Connor administration has been cooperating with investigators, Chief of Staff Dann Gilman said these revelations are disturbing.
    — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Even at their most disturbing, scenes describing carnage tend to be colorful and amusing.
    — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 30 Oct. 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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