Standard Lemma guide

traumatize

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtɹɔ.mə.taɪz/
  • /ˈtɹaʊ.mə.taɪz/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AO1 M AH0 T AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To injure, e.g. tissues, by force or by thermal, chemical or other agents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cause a trauma in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, sciences

Examples

  • I was traumatized by a childhood experience.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

inflict a trauma upon

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: traumatise, shock

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: injure, wound

History

Etymology

Etymology tree French traumat(isme) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izārebor. Old French -iser French -iser French traumatiserbor. English traumatize Borrowed from French traumatiser.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: traumatizar — to injure
  • Bulgarian: наранявам (naranjavam) — to injure
  • Catalan: traumatitzar — to injure
  • Czech: traumatizovat — to injure
  • French: traumatiser — to injure
  • Galician: traumatizar — to injure
  • Georgian: ტრავმატიზება (ṭravmaṭizeba) — to injure
  • Ido: traumatizar — to injure
  • Italian: traumatizzare — to injure
  • Portuguese: traumatizar — to injure
  • Spanish: traumatizar — to injure
  • Afrikaans: traumatiseer — to cause a trauma
  • Asturian: traumatizar — to cause a trauma
  • Belarusian: траўмі́раваць (trawmíravacʹ) — to cause a trauma
  • Bulgarian: травматизирам (travmatiziram) — to cause a trauma
  • Catalan: traumatitzar — to cause a trauma
  • Czech: traumatizovat — to cause a trauma
  • Dutch: traumatiseren — to cause a trauma
  • French: traumatiser — to cause a trauma
  • Galician: traumatizar — to cause a trauma
  • Georgian: ტრავმატიზება (ṭravmaṭizeba) — to cause a trauma
  • German: traumatisieren — to cause a trauma
  • Hungarian: traumatizál — to cause a trauma
  • Italian: traumatizzare — to cause a trauma
  • Russian: травми́ровать (travmírovatʹ) — to cause a trauma
  • Spanish: traumatizar — to cause a trauma
  • Ukrainian: травмува́ти (travmuváty) — to cause a trauma