trigger warning

American  

[trig-er wawr-ning] / ˈtrɪg ər ˌwɔr nɪŋ /

noun

1. a stated warning that the content of the immediately following text, video, etc., may cause distressing psychological or physiological reactions, especially in people who have previously experienced a related trauma: TW

   The header line of the blog post contains a trigger warning for rape.

---

Etymology

Origin of trigger warning

First recorded in 1990–95; trigger ( def. ) (in the sense “something that stimulates or initiates”)

Example Sentences

Maddie's first TikTok video about baby loss - which she posted with a trigger warning - shows her and her husband in the Blossom Suite, gently swaying with Teddy while tears stream down their faces.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

YouTube on Thursday removed the trigger warning it previously affixed to the trailer for the forthcoming "Joker: Folie à Deux" a day earlier though it's not entirely clear why.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2024

“Munich Medea: Happy Family” carries the wrong trigger warning.

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2024

A student who attended the class — who was president of Hamline’s Muslim Student Association — complained to the university, saying the trigger warning didn’t define what image would be shown.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

Wong offers a trigger warning at the start of the show, which necessarily deals with “death, illness, poverty, mental health stressors, racism, trauma, the last U.S. president.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2023