scathe 1 of 2

verb

ˈskāt͟h How to pronounce scathe (audio)
Definition of scathenext
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly newspaper cartoonists scathed the lecherous governor with a series of cruel caricatures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scathe

2 of 2

noun

as in harm

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scathe
Verb
But White also mentioned the league’s depth, which will likely scathe even the best teams. — Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026 With tight polls, and without any one candidate being able to boast about the president's endorsement, the three Republicans have tried to boost their candidacies by resorting to scathing personal attacks. — Emily Chang, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026 Victoria's son, Brooklyn, called out the pop star and David Beckham in a series of scathing Instagram stories. — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026 From in-depth local news pieces that got to the heart of our communities’ needs to scathing investigative works holding public officials accountable, the Boston Herald’s coverage sought to encapsulate the most important stories for our readership each and every day. — Isabelle Friedman, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for scathe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scathe
  1. attack
  2. harm
  3. scold
  4. burn
  5. slam
  6. scald
  7. insult
  8. scar
Verb
  • New arrival Maghnes Akliouche adds another attacking option this summer, while the signing of Lucas Digne from Villa gives this particular fixture an early subplot, with the full-back facing his old club straight out of the gate.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The woman was in the Silver River in Marion County, just south of Gainesville, when she was attacked on the arm on Saturday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • State prosecutors could argue that the federal stalking charges and its murder case address two different harms.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Filed jointly with the WGA West and East branches, the guild’s suit claims the merger violates antitrust law and would inflict irreparable harm on industry scribes.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of harm
Verb
  • Mills was grabbed and scolded by defensive coordinator Aden Durde for his obvious no-no.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Dodge the question, scold the critics and kick the can down the road.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of scold
Noun
  • Fires are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting and those burns periodically blanket parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous haze, authorities said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • As today's incident occurred just 85 seconds into flight, the rocket was still engaged in the main stage's initial engine burn to escape Earth's atmosphere.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The attorney said the agents cut off the SUV and slammed on their brakes.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But, Alexanian says, policymakers also worry about overregulation slamming the breaks on useful research.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of slam
Noun
  • An autopsy revealed Gocaj’s cause of death as a combination of scald burns with inhalational thermal injury and blunt force trauma of the torso.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
  • Donike Goncaj, 56, fell into the manhole at 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue on May 18 and died of scald burns and thermal inhalation from the steam.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 17 July 2026
Definition of scald
Verb
  • At the time, TMZ reported that the fight started when the other inmate, whose identity was not made public, insulted the rapper.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
  • After a May court hearing, Moreno alleged that Miller insulted Zashin's fiancee in front of witnesses at an Ohio courthouse, and alleged that after a hearing this week the congressman physically grabbed Zashin and another attorney.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of insult
Noun
  • On Sunday, storms brought dangerous flash flooding to the area around the Aspen Acres burn scar.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Alexa Frank thought the small, pink, flaky spot on her nose was an acne scar or eczema, a condition that causes dry, itchy skin.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of scar

Browse Nearby Words

scat
scathe
scathed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scathe. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on scathe

Nglish: Translation of scathe for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lackadaisical

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All