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Tragic vs Traumatic - What's the difference?

tragic | traumatic |

As adjectives the difference between tragic and traumatic

is that tragic is causing great sadness or suffering while traumatic is traumatic.

As a noun tragic

is (obsolete) a writer of tragedy.

tragic

English

Alternative forms

* tragick (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Causing great sadness or suffering.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2012, month=March-April
  • , author=(Jan Sapp) , title=Race Finished , volume=100, issue=2, page=164 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=Few concepts are as emotionally charged as that of race. The word conjures up a mixture of associations—culture, ethnicity, genetics, subjugation, exclusion and persecution. But is the tragic history of efforts to define groups of people by race really a matter of the misuse of science, the abuse of a valid biological concept?}}
  • Relating to tragedy in a literary work.
  • (in tabloid newspapers) Involved in a tragedy.
  • * 2008', ''Search for '''tragic Madeleine McCann over'' (in ''The Daily Telegraph of Australia, 14 February 2008) [http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/search-for-maddie-over/story-e6freuy9-1111115550129]
  • * 2012', Gary Meneely, ''Keano’s tribute to '''tragic James'' (in ''The Irish Sun , 25 June 2012) [http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/irishsun/irishsunnews/4392499/Keanos-tribute-to-tragic-James.html]
  • Derived terms

    * tragic flaw

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A writer of tragedy.
  • (obsolete) A tragedy; a tragic drama.
  • (Webster 1913)

    traumatic

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • of, caused by, or causing trauma
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1960 , author= , title=(Jeeves in the Offing) , section=chapter VII , passage=It's a sort of disease. There's a scientific name for it. Trau- something. Traumatic' symplegia, that's it. This cat has ' traumatic symplegia. In other words, putting it in simple language adapted to the lay mind, where other cats are content to get their eight hours, Augustus wants his twenty-four.}}
  • * 2011 , September 18, Don Thompson and Ken Ritter, “Reno air race crash scene shows violence of impact”, Associated Press:
  • "I've seen more patients, but never this many patients with this number of severe injuries," said Dr. Michael Morkin, chief of Renown's emergency department. "It was traumatic ."
  • (medicine, dated) Of or relating to wounds; applied to wounds.
  • (Coxe)
  • (dated) Adapted to the cure of wounds; vulnerary.
  • (Wiseman)
  • Produced by wounds.
  • traumatic tetanus

    Antonyms

    * non-traumatic * nontraumatic * untraumatic

    Derived terms

    * traumatic amenorrhea * traumatic amputation * traumatic anesthesia * traumatic arrest * traumatic asphyxia * traumatic brain injury

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (dated, medicine) A medicine for wounds; a vulnerary.