traumatic
adjective
trau·mat·ic
trə-ˈma-tik 
trȯ-,
trau̇-
1
: psychologically or emotionally stressful in a way that can lead to serious mental and emotional problems
The report … revealed that the onset of bulimic behavior tends to be associated with voluntary dieting and with traumatic events such as the loss of a loved one.—
Ralph Heussner
Ralph HeussnerHe's been open and frank about his traumatic childhood scarred by violence and domestic abuse.—Stephen Milton
Stephen Milton
broadly
: causing distress or anxiety
The traumatic experience of the Wall Street crash and the long depression of the 1930s has gradually faded from memory … —Jack Revell
Jack Revell The arrival of mass tourism in a previously unspoilt area … was certainly traumatic. —Graham Robb
Graham Robb 2
medical
: relating to, being, or caused by a sudden, severe, often life-threatening injury to the body
… the lone medical centers in the Triad to treat victims of traumatic injuries such as life-threatening car wrecks or shootings.—Pat Kimbrough
Pat KimbroughThree years ago, she was in a traumatic car crash that shattered her pelvis, and caused numerous other injuries.—Brad Gillman
Brad GillmanThere have been reports of shrapnel causing a traumatic fistula between the right coronary artery and the right atrium.—Matthias Eikermann et al.
Matthias Eikermann et al.
also
: involving or causing tissue damage or physical stress
The artery-dilating procedure, which uses a balloon or other device guided to the restricted artery by a cardiac catheter, is less invasive and traumatic than coronary artery bypass surgery. —Andrew Skolnick
Andrew Skolnick Open-heart surgery has become all but routine in recent years, although still physically traumatic. —Ralph T. King, Jr.
see also chronic traumatic encephalopathy, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury
Ralph T. King, Jr. Examples of traumatic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And when Armstrong candidly opened up about a traumatic moment from her childhood on social media, she was overwhelmed by the response.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
But after their mother -- who had been struggling with post traumatic stress disorder -- was placed in a mental institution shortly after Griffin's birth, their father was not able to take care of the children on his own.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 31 July 2025
As diagnosis of the condition requires thorough examination of brain tissue, it can only be done after death, but experts have developed a clinical criteria for a group of symptoms associated with CTE, known as traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, to help inform patient care.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
The coroner listed his cause of death as traumatic blunt-force injuries and the manner of death as accidental.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2025
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Luke Chinman, People.com, 1 Aug. 2025
But after their mother -- who had been struggling with post traumatic stress disorder -- was placed in a mental institution shortly after Griffin's birth, their father was not able to take care of the children on his own.
—Megan Forrester, ABC News, 31 July 2025
As diagnosis of the condition requires thorough examination of brain tissue, it can only be done after death, but experts have developed a clinical criteria for a group of symptoms associated with CTE, known as traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, to help inform patient care.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
The coroner listed his cause of death as traumatic blunt-force injuries and the manner of death as accidental.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for traumatic
Cite this Entry
“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traumatic. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
traumatic
adjective
trau·mat·ic
trə-ˈmat-ik, trȯ-, trau̇-
: of, relating to, resulting from, or causing a trauma
cases of traumatic rupture—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Associationa traumatic experience
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