Traumaticcausing severe emotional distress or harm; very upsetting describes something deeply upsetting or emotionally painful. It can also refer to a physical injurydamage to the body caused by an accident or force or wound, especially in medicalrelating to doctors, treatment, or healthcare contexts.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /trə-MAT-ik/
Easy pronunciation: truh-MAT-ik (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the second syllable.
Use this sense for something emotionally painful or deeply upsetting.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Traumatic Meaning
deeply upsetting or emotionally painful
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: causing strong emotional pain or distress
Example: Losing a child can be a traumatic experience.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- shocking — Often works as a substitute when something is emotionally distressing.
- distressing — A close everyday substitute for something that causes emotional pain.
- upsetting — Common and natural for something emotionally hard to deal with.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Traumatic
Meaning 2
connected with a bodily injury
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: of or relating to a physical injury or wound to the body
Example: The patient needed treatment for traumatic injuries.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Traumatic Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- shocking
- distressing
- upsetting
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Don't confuse traumatic with traumatic in the medical sense when you mean emotionally upsetting.
- Traumatic is not the same as tragic: something traumatic may be painful, but it is specifically upsetting or injurious, not just sad.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does traumatic mean?
Traumatic usually means deeply upsetting or emotionally painful. In medicine, it can also mean related to a bodily injury.
What is a simple synonym for traumatic?
A simple synonym is upsetting, though shocking and distressing can also work depending on the context.
Can traumatic describe physical injuries?
Yes. In medical language, traumatic can describe an injury or wound caused by force or accident.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-18. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.