unscathed

adjective

un·​scathed ˌən-ˈskāt͟hd 

: wholly unharmed : not injured

Did you know?

Can you be scathed instead of unscathed?

We often hear of a person coming through some difficult circumstance, or dangerous endeavor, and “emerging unscathed,” yet we rarely hear of anyone “emerging scathed.” Why is this? Scathe is a word: it may function as a noun (“harm, injury”) or as a verb (“to do harm to,” “to assail with withering denunciation”). It is not as commonly found as it once was, and now primarily serves as the basis for the adjective scathing (“bitterly severe”) or for the latter portion of unscathed. So you can say that someone “emerged scathed” if you wish, but be advised that it will have a curiously archaic sound to it.

Examples of unscathed in a Sentence

She escaped from the wreckage unscathed.

The administration was left relatively unscathed by the scandal.

Recent Examples on the Web

For his efforts, Dick is able to get Will, Ronnie, and Hank out of the Black Spot through a tunnel under the floor, and all four manage to escape unscathed — at least physically. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025

Weeks after four top Sacramento political figures were ensnared in an FBI corruption probe, one of them — lobbyist Alexis Podesta — has remained quiet and emerged relatively unscathed. —Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025

But in the vast majority of these cases, charges against employers have not followed, leading to a view of uneven enforcement where workers are detained and deported while their employers get away unscathed. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025

Mice infected with the heat-resistant strain got sick, but those infected with the normal strain seemed relatively unscathed, suggesting the heat itself helped fight off the flu. —NPR, 27 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unscathed

• bathed

Kids Definition

unscathed

adjective

un·​scathed ˌən-ˈskāt͟hd 

ˈən-

: completely unharmed : not injured