# traumatic

/tɹɔˈmætɪk/ (US) · /tɹɔːmˈætɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/traumatic
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. emotionally painful

adjective · CEFR B2

causing severe emotional shock and upset that lasts for a long time.

For teachers: relating to or causing psychological trauma; characterized by severe emotional distress and potential long-term mental health impacts.

- Moving to a new country as a child was a traumatic experience for him.
- Psychologists noted that the survivors of the earthquake required long-term support to process the traumatic events they had witnessed.

### 2. physical injury

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

relating to a physical injury caused by a sudden accident or force.

For teachers: pertaining to physical wounds or injuries caused by external force rather than disease.

- The patient was rushed to the hospital with a traumatic brain injury.
- The surgeon specialized in treating traumatic injuries resulting from high-impact vehicular accidents.

Usage: Often used in medical collocations like 'traumatic brain injury' (TBI) or 'traumatic amputation'.

### 3. wound medicine

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

a type of medicine used to help heal wounds.

For teachers: a substance or medicinal agent used to treat or heal physical wounds.

- The old medical book listed several herbs that could be used as a traumatic.
- In nineteenth-century pharmacopoeias, various resins were classified as traumatics due to their supposed ability to accelerate the closing of open sores.

## Examples

- Moving to a new country can be a traumatic experience for children.
- The survivors of the earthquake received counseling to help them process the traumatic events they witnessed.
- Psychologists study how traumatic childhood experiences can influence brain development and social behavior well into an individual's adult life.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.