as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
newspaper cartoonists scathed the lecherous governor with a series of cruel caricatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in harm
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scathe
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
But White also mentioned the league’s depth, which will likely scathe even the best teams.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
With tight polls, and without any one candidate being able to boast about the president's endorsement, the three Republicans have tried to boost their candidacies by resorting to scathing personal attacks.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Victoria's son, Brooklyn, called out the pop star and David Beckham in a series of scathing Instagram stories.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
From in-depth local news pieces that got to the heart of our communities’ needs to scathing investigative works holding public officials accountable, the Boston Herald’s coverage sought to encapsulate the most important stories for our readership each and every day.
—Isabelle Friedman, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
At Fendi’s spring-summer 1993 show, Banks sported a blunt cut blonde wig which scathed her black brows.
—Essence, 4 Dec. 2025
Much has been written about the changes, often in scathing online reviews.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
Trump has lashed out at Carlson and other media figures, including Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have been scathing about the decision to get into the war.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2026
Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
But White also mentioned the league’s depth, which will likely scathe even the best teams.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
With tight polls, and without any one candidate being able to boast about the president's endorsement, the three Republicans have tried to boost their candidacies by resorting to scathing personal attacks.
—Emily Chang, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026
Victoria's son, Brooklyn, called out the pop star and David Beckham in a series of scathing Instagram stories.
—Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026
From in-depth local news pieces that got to the heart of our communities’ needs to scathing investigative works holding public officials accountable, the Boston Herald’s coverage sought to encapsulate the most important stories for our readership each and every day.
—Isabelle Friedman, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
At Fendi’s spring-summer 1993 show, Banks sported a blunt cut blonde wig which scathed her black brows.
—Essence, 4 Dec. 2025
Much has been written about the changes, often in scathing online reviews.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scathe
Verb
-
The same man later attacked former Olympian Kim Glass in 2022, which prompted Lee to speak out.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
The officer who allegedly was attacked suffered minor injuries, Morton said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The overwhelming majority of the teens at the lakefront were not there intending to cause harm.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
-
Some of these people are trying to inflict harm on this transaction really because of their own antisemitic views.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Publicly, Ingoglia has become known for barnstorming the state to hold choreographed press conferences scolding cities and counties for wasteful spending.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
Messi seemed to scold La Familia at one point with a finger wag aimed in their direction, showing his displeasure with their protest.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
While SpaceX recently completed the 12th flight test of its Starship, with the upper stage making a picture-perfect splashdown in the Indian Ocean, its first-stage rocket made an unscheduled kamikaze dive into the Gulf of Mexico after its 33 engines failed to reignite for a boost-back burn.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Authorities initially said one person was killed and nine were injured, including with chemical burns.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Williams belted a walk-off moonshot for a 5-4 win, and Canady slammed the door shut for a 2-0 clincher.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
The teenager received a standing ovation before Cowell slammed his Golden Buzzer.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Depending on the species and the part of the animals’ bodies that are affected, the disease is sometimes known as rain scald or rain rot, grease heal, and strawberry foot rot.—
Helen Branswell,
STAT,
11 May 2026
-
Place one-half cup cream in a sauce pot and bring up to a scald.—
Kathryn Gregory,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Stop insulting everyone’s intelligence with false hope.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
-
That might be stretching it, actually; at worst, Meg could be played as a nymphomaniac who refused to take no for an answer from an American who could never get drunk enough to kiss rather than insult her.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
After earning those battle scars, fittingly, 2026 was when everything would come together.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
1 June 2026
-
And Buffet’s got the scars to prove it.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scathe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scathe. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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