Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having a trigger: generally used in composition: as, a double-triggered gun.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Describing something that has a trigger, that reacts to some specific condition.
  • verb Simple past tense and past participle of trigger.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • "I'm sure that for some people there, my name triggered the thought that I was African-American, and automatically triggered biases that resulted in me not being given a fair shot," he says.

    Washington: The 'Blackest Name' In America 2011

  • The word triggered an immediate avalanche of complaints and abuse from Argentinians, reflecting heightened sensitivity towards the archipelago in the run up to the 30th anniversary of the war with Britain.

    Falkland Islands newspaper calls Cristina Fernández de Kirchner a bitch 2012

  • Just saying the word triggered something in his head.

    Sins of Two Fathers Denis Hamill 2003

  • Just saying the word triggered something in his head.

    Sins of Two Fathers Denis Hamill 2003

  • Just saying the word triggered something in his head.

    Sins of Two Fathers Denis Hamill 2003

  • Just saying the word triggered something in his head.

    Sins of Two Fathers Denis Hamill 2003

  • The phrase triggered a vague memory of a conversation with Captain Jake Cutter.

    The Pride of Hannah Wade Janet Dailey 1985

  • The phrase triggered a vague memory of a conversation with Captain Jake Cutter.

    The Pride of Hannah Wade Janet Dailey 1985

  • "I'm sure that for some people there, my name triggered the thought that I was African-American, and automatically triggered biases that resulted in me not being given a fair shot," he says.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2011

  • "I'm sure that for some people there, my name triggered the thought that I was African-American, and automatically triggered biases that resulted in me not being given a fair shot," he says.

    Kansas City Star: Front Page 2011

  • Many of these terms do have early, important roots in psychotherapy – the word “triggered”, for example, was first used by psychologists as a way to describe those who were suffering from PTSD after the first world war, while the term “trauma-dumping” was widely popularised by psychotherapist Janina Fisher in her 2017 book Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors.

    Are Jonah Hill's texts really 'therapy speak'? I asked a therapist | Daisy Jones Daisy Jones 2023

Comments

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  • 2016 , people are using it as a 1 word response to say that something affected them, triggered PTSD, or caused them to have a flashback to a previous stressful event.  Usually, the term is used as hyperbole.

    April 12, 2016