traumatic

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A traumatic event is one that causes someone great emotional pain or shock.

When we talk about something being traumatic, it usually means that it was really upsetting and had a big impact on someone's life. This can be something like a car accident, a natural disaster, or even just a really hurtful thing someone said to you. The word is often used in the context of psychology and medicine, but you might also hear people talking about how a particular event was traumatic for them, even if it wasn't necessarily a big public news story.

Note: In addition to describing events, the word "traumatic" can also describe behavior or relationships that are abusive or hurtful. For example, someone might say that their childhood was traumatic due to neglect or abuse by their parents.

How common is "traumatic"?

Word traumatic is considered uncommon in modern English.
It appears most frequently in academic texts and less often in other writings.

Definitions

adjective

Of, caused by, or causing trauma.
(medicine, dated) Of or relating to wounds; applied to wounds.
(dated) Adapted to the cure of wounds; vulnerary.
Produced by wounds, especially as opposed to disease or other process.
Example: traumatic tetanus; traumatic brain injury

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