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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
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
In terms of Paramount’s corporate divisions, CBS Sports has come through recent waves of cutbacks relatively unscathed.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025
Europe has just run its most extreme space weather simulation yet — a scenario so severe that no spacecraft was left unscathed in the exercise.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Reaves came out of the fight mostly unscathed, but Rempe had to retreat to the Rangers’ dressing room and did not play the rest of the game.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unscathed
Cite this Entry
“Unscathed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unscathed. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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unscathed
adjective
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