traumatize
Americanverb (used with object)
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Pathology. to injure (tissues) by force or by thermal, chemical, etc., agents.
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Psychiatry. to cause a trauma in (the mind).
to be traumatized by a childhood experience.
verb
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(tr) to wound or injure (the body)
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to subject or be subjected to mental trauma
Other Word Forms
- traumatization noun
- untraumatized adjective
Etymology
Origin of traumatize
First recorded in 1900–05, traumatize is from the Greek word traumatízein to wound. See traumatic, -ize
Explanation
To traumatize someone is to make them feel a severe, lasting sense of shock and hurt. Being in a bad car accident can traumatize anyone. In medicine, to traumatize is to hurt or injure physically, but this verb is used more often in everyday speech to mean "harm psychologically or emotionally." War and violence traumatize many people around the world, and even something as seemingly harmless as a scary movie can traumatize a young child. Traumatize comes from trauma, "physical wound" in medical Latin and "a wound, hurt, or defeat" in Greek.
Vocabulary lists containing traumatize
"Mammoth Shakes and Monster Waves" Vocabulary from the informational text
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The Wednesday Wars
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myPerspectives 8.2
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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.
On Monday, Minnesota school districts and educators sought an emergency order in federal court to stop immigration operations near public schools because of their potential to traumatize children.
From Salon • Mar. 2, 2026
“This country has done nothing but traumatize me in the last six months. Maybe I’ll just move to Spain.”
From Slate • Dec. 11, 2025
“If they’ve betrayed the person they love the most while that trauma bond is still strong, they internalize the guilt and that can destabilize them or traumatize them further.”
From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023
“These are not victimless crimes, but efforts to undermine law enforcement, our schools and the safety of communities,” Mr. Thompson said, noting that the calls sap public safety resources and traumatize students.
From Washington Times • Apr. 20, 2023
I mean, it might traumatize the baby slightly.
From "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling
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.
