traumatic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or produced by a trauma or wound.
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adapted to the cure of wounds.
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psychologically painful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of traumatic
First recorded in 1650–60; from Late Latin traumaticus, from Greek traumatikós “pertaining to wounds,” from traumat- (stem of traûma trauma ) + -ikos -ic
Explanation
Something is traumatic if it's very upsetting, painful, or disturbing. The word is related to a Greek word meaning "wound," so you can think of traumatic as something involving a wound, either physical or mental. Your brother's reckless driving could make getting to school a traumatic experience in terms of your mental health. Traumatic can also describe a major physical injury, such as a traumatic brain injury. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a medical term used to describe the lasting and debilitating effects of something awful you've experienced, such as witnessing a disaster or suffering a major injury during combat.
Vocabulary lists containing traumatic
Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Game Changer
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Tears of a Tiger
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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.
Ronald Levant, author of “The Problem with Men: Insights on Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-Renowned Psychologist,” has found men’s groups especially useful in engaging men who foot-drag their way to therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
This is a time of “intense identity building” for people transitioning from children to adults, said Gregory Leskin, a psychologist and program director with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network at UCLA.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025
Traumatic scenarios like this one are inflicted on some 3.5 million children in the U.S. each year by child protective services, as reported by ProPublica and NBC News in a 2022 investigation.
From Salon • Nov. 2, 2024
"Traumatic, super-hot and overcrowded" are just some of the words mums used to describe their experience at "inadequate" maternity hospitals.
From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024
Traumatic affections cannot now be discussed; except to give a brief idea of the constitutional diseases of the skin which, like all others, originate in deficient blood.
From Valere Aude Dare to Be Healthy, Or, The Light of Physical Regeneration by Dechmann, Louis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
