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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in harm
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Dissimilar Words
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Recent Examples of scathe
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 12 June 2026
Trump has lashed out at Carlson and other media figures, including Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have been scathing about the decision to get into the war.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
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
At Fendi’s spring-summer 1993 show, Banks sported a blunt cut blonde wig which scathed her black brows.
—Essence, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
In the wake of rumors regarding their rift, the 27-year-old discussed the breakdown of their relationship in a series of scathing Instagram Stories posts shared earlier this year.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 12 June 2026
Trump has lashed out at Carlson and other media figures, including Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have been scathing about the decision to get into the war.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
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
At Fendi’s spring-summer 1993 show, Banks sported a blunt cut blonde wig which scathed her black brows.
—Essence, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scathe
Verb
-
Vance, asked by a reporter about the criticism from the Israeli government, singled out Israeli Cabinet officials who have attacked the deal, saying Netanyahu has not shared the same opposition in the vice president's conversations with him.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
After the good Samaritan got him off the woman, witnesses say the man wandered to produce and began attacking a 16-year-old boy, but Garbe had followed him.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Their charges reportedly include assaulting a police officer, disorderly behavior in a police station, disorderly behavior, resisting arrest, obscene language, escape from lawful custody, causing dangerous harm and two counts of damage and obstruction.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
-
In reality, such lawsuits do far more harm than good and the threats ignore the significant progress made over the past two decades.—
Kim Gorsuch,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Someone else scolds the offender.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
16 June 2026
-
This time, however, Charlotte promptly scolded him for his untoward behavior.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
Noun
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State biologists also consider prescribed burns, 88,000 of which take place each year, as essential for restoring prairies, forests and marshes with new growth.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
The tone goes from slow-burn dread to full-on madness, escalating in a way that pays off beautifully.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 June 2026
Verb
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In Santa Clara, the letter said, a woman on mental health diversion for carjacking proceeded to steal another car and slam it into an outside table at a restaurant, leaving one person dead and others injured.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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The bomber was in the air a very short time before slamming into the ground about halfway down the runway.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Depending on the species and the part of the animals’ bodies that are affected, the disease is sometimes known as rain scald or rain rot, grease heal, and strawberry foot rot.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
11 May 2026
-
Place one-half cup cream in a sauce pot and bring up to a scald.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Outrage became loud when the night's heavyweight champion, Josh Hokit, insulted former first lady Michelle Obama to host Joe Rogan moments after winning his fight.—
Leigh Blickley,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
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The two-minute trailer includes a recreation of the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photo from V-J Day, a woman insulting David’s butter churning, some trench warfare repartee about the looks of a soldier’s love back at home, the Boston Tea Party, and jokes about child labor.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
The scars left by this Western Conference Final defeat to the Chicago Wolves in seven games will linger.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 June 2026
-
This month marks 10 years since the horrendous attack on the Pulse nightclub, which stole the lives of 49 people, wounded dozens more, and left indelible scars on survivors, families, friends and neighbors.—
David Kay,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scathe. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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