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
Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
At its most basic, a good one can hide acne scars, redness, and other discoloration.
—Michelle Baricevic, InStyle, 22 Jan. 2026
Young elephants pass us in the bush with fleshy knobs where there should be tails, the scars of crocodile bites from wading through deep rivers, and the Sitatunga have evolved long, splayed hooves to prevent them from getting stuck in the boggy wetland.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
More than a year after a ceasefire nominally ended active fighting, much of southern Lebanon bears the ecological scars of war.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The physical scars from that night had faded, but the emotional wounds remained raw.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Smart's brutal treatment left emotional scars.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
Among the people with lingering scars or discoloration, half had it in one or two places, while 8% were affected in 10 or more places.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 20 Jan. 2026
The shadow of George Floyd It’s been nearly six years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, but the scars from that killing remain raw.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Noun
Minneapolis is far from alone in navigating high-profile events and bearing scars from multiple tragedies past.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
At its most basic, a good one can hide acne scars, redness, and other discoloration.
—Michelle Baricevic, InStyle, 22 Jan. 2026
Young elephants pass us in the bush with fleshy knobs where there should be tails, the scars of crocodile bites from wading through deep rivers, and the Sitatunga have evolved long, splayed hooves to prevent them from getting stuck in the boggy wetland.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
More than a year after a ceasefire nominally ended active fighting, much of southern Lebanon bears the ecological scars of war.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The physical scars from that night had faded, but the emotional wounds remained raw.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
Smart's brutal treatment left emotional scars.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Jan. 2026
Among the people with lingering scars or discoloration, half had it in one or two places, while 8% were affected in 10 or more places.
—Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 20 Jan. 2026
The shadow of George Floyd It’s been nearly six years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, but the scars from that killing remain raw.
—Tim Sullivan, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scars
Verb
-
What once killed campaigns now barely wounds them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Even with all of them in place, Shirley misses the masked attacker sneaking his way up to the apartment door, and Lamb’s attempt to blind him with bleach creates a chaotic struggle that wounds the assailant without containing him.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wielding his powers, Simon tears the cell bars away.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
27 Jan. 2026
-
This is definitely something that tears at your heartstrings.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The pictures show scars and gashes around the dog's snout.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scars. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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