as in defects
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the scars left by carelessly scratching the car door with one's keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cliffs
a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice
at the next bend in the river, a scar of red sandstone steeply rises to over 100 feet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scars
Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
Even just a little rain on burn scars can quickly lead to flash floods and debris flows, Schumacher said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
Each day before filming, Miranda sat for between three and five hours while makeup artists applied full-body tattoos, bruises and scars.
—Karla León, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
According to Redfin, roughly 30% of Gen Z adults owned a home as of early 2026—a higher share than millennials had achieved by the same point in their lives, when the scars of the 2008 financial crisis had frozen them out of the market entirely.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Actual spinal surgery was routine in these cases, and many of Motta’s clients bore scars from their procedures.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The country of around 38 million gained independence from Portugal in 1975, but still bears the scars of a devastating civil war that began straight after independence and raged on and off for 27 years before finally ending in 2002.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
As playful re-enactments give way to haunting revelations, Dea and Asllan confront the painful disappearance of a beloved matriarch and the collective scars of a community grappling with memory and loss.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
These dances came at a time in Germany when artists were wrestling with the scars of World War I and the intensification of the developing industrial economy.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
James said nothing changes in his preparation from the regular season to the postseason, even when a looming battle against Rockets star Kevin Durant might reopen old playoff scars on Saturday night.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
Even just a little rain on burn scars can quickly lead to flash floods and debris flows, Schumacher said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
Each day before filming, Miranda sat for between three and five hours while makeup artists applied full-body tattoos, bruises and scars.
—Karla León, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2026
According to Redfin, roughly 30% of Gen Z adults owned a home as of early 2026—a higher share than millennials had achieved by the same point in their lives, when the scars of the 2008 financial crisis had frozen them out of the market entirely.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Actual spinal surgery was routine in these cases, and many of Motta’s clients bore scars from their procedures.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The country of around 38 million gained independence from Portugal in 1975, but still bears the scars of a devastating civil war that began straight after independence and raged on and off for 27 years before finally ending in 2002.
—ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
As playful re-enactments give way to haunting revelations, Dea and Asllan confront the painful disappearance of a beloved matriarch and the collective scars of a community grappling with memory and loss.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
These dances came at a time in Germany when artists were wrestling with the scars of World War I and the intensification of the developing industrial economy.
—Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scars
Verb
-
Chops, gouges, wounds it like the shadow grooves on the sidewalks—the sun is setting earlier.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The company regularly buys brand-new devices and tears them to pieces.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
As the GIs raise their guns, a pudgy hand in the backseat tears a strip of white cloth from his companion’s petticoat for the chauffeur to hang out the window.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scars. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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