Synonyms

PTSD

American

[pee-tee-es-dee] / ˈpiˈtiˈɛsˈdi /

abbreviation

post-traumatic stress disorder: a mental disorder occurring after an extremely distressing, stressful, or frightening event and characterized by symptoms such as reliving the event, avoidance of anything that is a reminder of the event, withdrawal from social interactions or previous activities, and an increase in feelings of anxiety, anger, sadness, shame, or guilt.

PTSD British

abbreviation

post-traumatic stress disorder

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Compare meaning

How does ptsd compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

shell shock vs. PTSD

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

PTSD

Researchers combined previously published genomic information for long Covid, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis from existing genome-wide association studies with 3D genomic data from an earlier study of people with ME/CFS.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

He had said it was how he had healed his PTSD.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

I know a lot of buyers claim to have CVT-induced PTSD.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

She added that for her son, life "without a dad who was involved in everything you did is a hard adjustment" and it "carried an element of PTSD".

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Dad said she had post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023