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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
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
Bellies full and clothing that doesn’t fully make it out unscathed.
—Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 June 2026
Despite there only being four events left on LIV's calendar for the year, a recent report from Front Office Sports has added speculation of those four events going off unscathed.
—Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026
The springy, resilient and substantive material has a way of surviving consumer wear-and-tear relatively unscathed.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for unscathed
Cite this Entry
“Unscathed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unscathed. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unscathed
adjective
