TRAUMATIC Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

traumatic

adjective

Definition of traumatic

as in horrible

causing great and lasting pain or distress The family struggled to cope with the traumatic experience of losing their home.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of traumatic Maria Avila offered tearful recollections of the traumatic incident and her less-than-full recovery on the stand last week, speaking in Spanish with an interpreter. — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026 Her essay in Vogue on the traumatic birth of her son and postpartum depression caught national attention, and essays since have appeared in The Strategist and Harper’s Bazaar. — Parents, 24 June 2026 The movie features flashbacks to Kara's traumatic childhood first watching her planet explode and then witnessing her people, including her mom (Emily Beecham), die from Kryptonite poisoning before her dad (David Krumholtz) sends her to Earth. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 26 June 2026 To navigate the darkness, Liu leaned heavily into both sports psychology and traditional therapy, including EMDR, a technique that helps people process traumatic experiences. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for traumatic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic

Adjective

And obviously, slavery was a terrible thing, and that was horrible.

— Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Horton, who married Rickman in 2012 in a private ceremony after more than 40 years together, also told the outlet that the diagnosis had been a horrible shock to them both.

— Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

And that says something painful about what my country has become, and my place in it.

— Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the absence of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s most painful consequences.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.

— Zach Wichter, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.

— CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of terrible

Adjective

After all, Against Nature is all about the unsettling atmosphere and the senses.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026
Seeking a fresh start, Ellie moves into a house on Delaney Row hoping to leave her troubled past behind, only to discover that her new home is steeped in dark secrets and unsettling mysteries.

— Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 July 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

One year Pippa Middleton faced the awful shame of having to sit in a normal seat after showing up late.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Sugar is at the forensic lab with the corpse of a man who looks an awful lot like Ji Moon but isn’t Ji Moon (courtesy of Shea Whigham as Tom Flybjerg).

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 27 June 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

The most unbearable clash was between the Declaration’s principle of equality and the Constitution’s provisions on slavery—the three-fifths clause, the fugitive-slave clause, and the slave-trade clause.

— Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026
Soledad Martinez, a 77-year-old resident who has lived in the neighborhood for 45 years, said the fumes and uncertainty had made life in her neighborhood unbearable.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of unbearable

Adjective

There were many disturbing parts of Kerstin’s story left unpursued.

— William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.

— Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2026

Definition of disturbing

Browse Nearby Words

trashy

traumatic

traumatically

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“Traumatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traumatic. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of traumatic

adjective

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