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 WebHe’s also repeatedly emerged unscathed from various court proceedings, including last year’s U.K. criminal trial and a civil suit brought by the actor Anthony Rapp in 2022.—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2024 But that didn’t leave Suarez, who was not named as a defendant, entirely unscathed.—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for unscathed
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unscathed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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