trauma

American  

[trou-muh, traw-] / ˈtraʊ mə, ˈtrɔ- /

noun

traumas, plural traumata plural

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.

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trauma British  

/ ˈtrɔːmə, trɔːˈmætɪk /

noun

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

2. pathol any bodily injury or wound

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trauma Scientific  

/ trô′mə,trou′- /

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.

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trauma Cultural  

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

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Usage

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.

Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• traumatic
  adjective
• traumatically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• traumas
  plural
• traumata
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trauma

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

Explanation

A trauma is a shock to the body or spirit. A car accident can cause physical trauma like broken bones while losing your dog on a walk is an emotional trauma. When you think of trauma think of blunt force. Trauma tends to come on all at once and be quite serious. Someone who experiences trauma will have either a traumatic injury or traumatic distress. Try not to use this term lightly. If you say that having to wait twenty minutes for a burger was a trauma, people will rightly accuse you of drama.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trauma traumas traumata

“Many folks grow up with stories of financial losses and financial trauma, whether it’s someone they know or represented in the media,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The loss has emptied his soul, leaving only the haunting impact of the unending trauma, and legacy, of war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Nick Smith, who runs the Ludoquist board game cafe and bar in Croydon, London, said Burnham's announcement was reminiscent of "the trauma of Covid days".

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

But the writers wanted to go beyond Aemond’s surface, to “a different place and excavate that trauma and vulnerability.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Justyce already knew about the superpredator myth—he’d stumbled upon the whole thing while trying to deal with his own profiling trauma.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

The repercussions of this method still reverberate through Panettiere’s life today, with the actress musing: “I’ve often wondered whether—unintentionally—I’ve brought on my traumas because I’m wired to think they’re good for me.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

Both Clark and Mary wrestle with their individual traumas, but the specific points of their histories are explored with less interest than the Backrooms themselves.

From Salon ● May 30, 2026

In our conversations, van der Kolk described past traumas as a form of “emotional tyranny” over a person’s current mental state.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

While he moderates, screens, and guides members around the clock, Brooks is still processing his own traumas.

From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026

We rowed past the old lighthouse, tranquil in the distance, which only last night had been the scene of so many traumas.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

Absorption takes place from the inner surface of the uterus or from traumata in the genital canal.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

He received several head traumata and suffered from enuresis in his early life.

From The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Volume 10 by Various

We shall refer later on to those other exactly similar cases of cyclical depression which can nevertheless easily be traced back to mental traumata.

From Group Psychology and The Analysis of The Ego by Freud, Sigmund

The principal causes of primary keratitis are traumata and infection from the conjunctiva.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various

Related Words

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