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
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
The scars of the past become painfully visible during a dam drawdown, exposing a graveyard of cypress trees that didn’t survive the inundation of water.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
The makeup department added scars to Shaynak’s knees and legs to reflect his character’s backstory, but the compression socks Shaynak wore were his own.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Oil infrastructure damaged during the first Gulf War burned in the distance, scars that lingered long after the fighting stopped.
—Shawn Vandiver, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
The scars of the Iraq War run deep in Europe.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
In December 2023, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of fat-dissolving injections after many reports of severe side effects, including permanent scars, serious infections, skin deformities, cysts, and deep, painful knots.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the years, my battle scars have taught me that the dream was never to be perfect or to just survive.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
The Berman and Bryant tree has a few visible scars.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
Several past crimes have left permanent scars on the city's collective memory.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
The scars of the past become painfully visible during a dam drawdown, exposing a graveyard of cypress trees that didn’t survive the inundation of water.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
The makeup department added scars to Shaynak’s knees and legs to reflect his character’s backstory, but the compression socks Shaynak wore were his own.
—Marah Eakin, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Oil infrastructure damaged during the first Gulf War burned in the distance, scars that lingered long after the fighting stopped.
—Shawn Vandiver, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026
The scars of the Iraq War run deep in Europe.
—Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
In December 2023, the FDA issued a warning about the dangers of fat-dissolving injections after many reports of severe side effects, including permanent scars, serious infections, skin deformities, cysts, and deep, painful knots.
—Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the years, my battle scars have taught me that the dream was never to be perfect or to just survive.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
The Berman and Bryant tree has a few visible scars.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scars
Verb
-
What once killed campaigns now barely wounds them.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
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
-
If the oyster tears slightly, don’t panic; flavor matters much more than perfection.—
Rai Mincey,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
-
His scientist creator, Victor Frankenstein, reluctantly agrees, but at the last moment tears the unfinished mate limb from limb as the creature watches on in horror.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 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 13 Mar. 2026.
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