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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
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025
McMahon came away unscathed, and Schlittler retired Trevor Story to complete the inning and his outing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Fernando Cruz rescued Rodón by getting out of the inning unscathed and with the score tied at 3.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Despite sustaining some minor injuries — Ethan sustained several cuts, scrapes and bruises while Brandon sustained a small burn on his forehead and scarring on his hands — the pair escaped relatively unscathed, physically.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 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 10 Oct. 2025.
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unscathed
adjective
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