traumatize

especially British, trau·ma·tise

[trou-muh-tahyz, traw-]

verb (used with object)

traumatized, traumatizing 

1. Pathology.,  to injure (tissues) by force or by thermal, chemical, etc., agents.

2. Psychiatry.,  to cause a trauma in (the mind).

   to be traumatized by a childhood experience.

traumatize

/ ˈtrɔːməˌtaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to wound or injure (the body)

2. to subject or be subjected to mental trauma

Other Word Forms

• traumatization noun
• untraumatized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of traumatize¹

First recorded in 1900–05, traumatize is from the Greek word traumatízein to wound. See traumatic, -ize

Example Sentences

She laughed it off, but the experience traumatized her.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The whole thing is still devastating and so many people are traumatized, and unnecessarily so,” Tobiska said.

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Testifying that her daughter had been traumatized by the ordeal of finding the hidden tracking device.

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On Wednesday, a community already traumatized by fire had to absorb another hit.

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He called the memo "another illegitimate attempt" by OMB Director Russ Vought to "traumatize" federal workers, "which seems to be what gets him out of bed in the morning".

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Related Words

• disturb 
• grieve 
• hurt 
• mortify 
• offend 
• outrage 
• shock 
• upset