trauma

[trou-muh, traw-]

noun

plural

traumas, traumata 

1. Pathology.

   1. a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident.

   2. the condition produced by this; traumatism.

2. Psychiatry.

   1. an experience that produces psychological injury or pain.

   2. the psychological injury so caused.

trauma

/ ˈtrɔːmə, trɔːˈmætɪk /

noun

1. psychol a powerful shock that may have long-lasting effects

2. pathol any bodily injury or wound

trauma

1. Severe bodily injury, as from a gunshot wound or a motor vehicle accident.

2. Psychological or emotional injury caused by a deeply disturbing experience.

trauma

1. Wounds that result from sudden physical injury or violence.

The term is frequently used to describe an emotional shock that causes serious psychological damage.

Other Word Forms

• traumatic adjective
• traumatically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of trauma¹

First recorded in 1685–95, trauma is from the Greek word traûma wound

Word History and Origins

Origin of trauma¹

C18: from Greek: a wound

Example Sentences

The rhetoric quickly brought back the market’s tariff trauma from earlier this year.

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Related: I look 10 years older due to stress, trauma and illness.

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Readers shared stories about how hard it is to recover mentally and emotionally from the trauma of living through a medical emergency.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The relatives of hostages have become like family to each other since the attack, finding comfort in their shared trauma and joining to advocate for their loved ones.

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What was that like, bridging the gap between humor and trauma while making it funny and relatable?

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Related Words

• agony 
• anguish 
• blow 
• confusion 
• damage 
• injury 
• ordeal 
• shock 
• strain 
• stress 
• suffering 
• torture 
• upheaval 
• wound 

When To Use

What does trauma mean?

Trauma refers to a sudden, serious body injury or shock, as from violence or an accident, as in The car accident resulted in trauma to the arms and legs of the passenger.Trauma also refers to a serious psychological injury or emotional pain, as from being involved in a disturbing or horrible incident, as in The trauma caused by years of war still gives the soldier nightmares. Trauma is also used to refer to the specific incidents that cause both of these types of serious damage, as in The flood survivors never spoke of the trauma they experienced that day. Example: The victim suffered from internal bleeding caused by repeated trauma to the chest.