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 In season one, in the back of the limo with my sister [Kim Richards], the world saw a traumatic family dynamic. — Maer Roshan, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026 He was also convicted of child endangerment due to the dangerous and traumatic implications of their son’s presence at the scene. — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026 Her sadness and traumatic experiences, such as the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing and the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller in 2018, have become intertwined with her career. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 31 July 2026 Standard autopsies can take two hours or longer in complicated cases or traumatic deaths, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for traumatic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for traumatic

Adjective

After years of seeing enough photos of fabulous wealth and horrible tragedy, these types of images cease to shock us.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
But the horrible jobs data suggests the central bank may have to think about weakening consumer spending as well.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of horrible

Adjective

But for Tran’s family, the arrest revisited a painful, complicated chapter of their lives.

— Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Many have called for empathy and compassion for the situation, while others struggle to reconcile calls for grace with Hilton’s history of profiting from celebrities’ most painful moments.

— Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

Fielding a growing number of calls from Haitians unsure of where to turn is overwhelming, says Judith Polidor, who works as a paralegal in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti neighborhood.

— Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Although the news was overwhelming, Kaverman decided to reframe the moment.

— Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of overwhelming

Adjective

For a series built around the unsettling idea of collective perfection, Pluribus works because each department thrived in the chaos of creation.

— Deadline, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
As Ludwig’s body begins to change in unsettling ways, the cure becomes a journey through fear, loss and transformation.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

The battle sequences in this finale are awful, elaborate, and grotesque, especially Ormund using children as human shields and Daemon burning them alive.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
So, what does this mean for the markets, and us bystanders, in this awful situation?

— Clem Chambers, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of awful

Adjective

Nicole says that as an adult, her brother faced unbearable tragedy when one of his children died.

— Edie Peffley, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
To this day, the putrid, offensive odor coming from the tens of millions of pounds of rotting food in the warehouse is unbearable for families.

— Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of unbearable

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 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of traumatic

adjective

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