Trauma Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Cultural

Usage

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Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms trauma American [trou-muh, traw-] / ˈtraʊ mə, ˈtrɔ- /

noun

plural

traumas, traumata

1. Pathology.

   1. a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident.

   2. the condition produced by this; traumatism.

2. Psychiatry.

   1. an experience that produces psychological injury or pain.

   2. the psychological injury so caused.

trauma British / ˈtrɔːmə, trɔːˈmætɪk /

noun

1. psychol a powerful shock that may have long-lasting effects

2. pathol any bodily injury or wound

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 trauma Scientific / trô′mə,trou′- /

1. Severe bodily injury, as from a gunshot wound or a motor vehicle accident.

2. Psychological or emotional injury caused by a deeply disturbing experience.

trauma Cultural

1. Wounds that result from sudden physical injury or violence.

Usage

What does trauma mean? Trauma refers to a sudden, serious body injury or shock, as from violence or an accident, as in The car accident resulted in trauma to the arms and legs of the passenger.Trauma also refers to a serious psychological injury or emotional pain, as from being involved in a disturbing or horrible incident, as in The trauma caused by years of war still gives the soldier nightmares. Trauma is also used to refer to the specific incidents that cause both of these types of serious damage, as in The flood survivors never spoke of the trauma they experienced that day. Example: The victim suffered from internal bleeding caused by repeated trauma to the chest.

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The term is frequently used to describe an emotional shock that causes serious psychological damage.

Other Word Forms

• traumatic adjective
• traumatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of trauma

First recorded in 1685–95, trauma is from the Greek word traûma wound

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Alouette and her comrades pursue a different life but do not seek it for everyone, which feels right not just for their era but for their experience of trauma.

From Los Angeles Times

“He’s very special, very normal, and very kind, and wants to help people heal, move through their trauma and stagnation into clarity. It’s a beautiful thing to commit your life to.”

From MarketWatch

In October, she gave birth to her son at her home in Atlantic Beach, Fla.—an experience that left her with lingering trauma for weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It might be a little trauma bonding as well…. I think we understand each other on a specific mental and physical level.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Others describe money hidden in ceilings, toilet tanks and even household appliances, part of a folklore of concealment born of repeated financial trauma.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agony
• anguish
• blow
• confusion
• damage
• injury
• ordeal
• shock
• strain
• stress
• suffering
• torture
• upheaval
• wound

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.