diff --git a/legacy/docs/content/widgets/configs/TextArea.js b/legacy/docs/content/widgets/configs/TextArea.js
index f384208e8..039f9385e 100644
--- a/legacy/docs/content/widgets/configs/TextArea.js
+++ b/legacy/docs/content/widgets/configs/TextArea.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ export default {
    showClear: false,
    hideClear: false,
    inputType: false,
+   trim: false,
    reactOn: {
       type: 'string',
       description: <cx><Md>
diff --git a/packages/cx/src/widgets/form/TextArea.tsx b/packages/cx/src/widgets/form/TextArea.tsx
index 06f123e24..f2feb525a 100644
--- a/packages/cx/src/widgets/form/TextArea.tsx
+++ b/packages/cx/src/widgets/form/TextArea.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@ import { autoFocus } from "../autoFocus";
 import { getActiveElement } from "../../util/getActiveElement";
 import { NumberProp } from "../../ui/Prop";
 
-export interface TextAreaConfig extends TextFieldConfig {
+/**
+ * `trim` is intentionally omitted: `TextArea` renders its own input which commits the raw value,
+ * so leading and trailing whitespace is always preserved.
+ */
+export interface TextAreaConfig extends Omit<TextFieldConfig, "trim"> {
    /** Specifies the number of visible lines. */
    rows?: NumberProp;
 
@@ -65,6 +69,8 @@ export class TextArea extends TextField<TextAreaConfig> {
 
 TextArea.prototype.baseClass = "textarea";
 TextArea.prototype.reactOn = "blur";
+// `trim` is not supported by TextArea, so a global `TextField.prototype.trim = true` must not leak into it.
+TextArea.prototype.trim = false;
 TextArea.prototype.suppressErrorsUntilVisited = true;
 
 interface InputProps {