scarlet letter

noun

: a scarlet A worn as a punitive mark of adultery

Examples of scarlet letter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Miami Dolphins’ NFL-worst 25-year streak of having not won a playoff game is a scarlet letter the franchise bears. — Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026

In my own opinion, this coincidence is very telling, like a scarlet letter. — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

In the modern tech age, that record has a way of following people around long afterward, creating a lifetime scarlet letter out of a youthful arrest, Levin explained. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 30 May 2026

So the Patriots as an organization have to realize this scarlet letter is sticking right now. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from such a letter in the novel The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for scarlet letter

• carburetter
• carburettor
• abettor
• newsletter
• typesetter
• better
• bettor
• debtor
• fetter
• getter
• netter
• petter