as in satiric
marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings
a scathing rebuttal of the latest theory concerning the assassination
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
newspaper cartoonists scathed the lecherous governor with a series of cruel caricatures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scathing
Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 5 Nov. 2025
Sarah Gorden and Angelina Anderson both offered a scathing rebuke of Eddy.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
The appeals court decision was, at times, scathing toward the state's arguments in the case.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scathing
Adjective
The show, which debuted on Tuesday on Hulu, landed with a thud and garnered a jaw-dropping zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes from its initial spate of reviews, which included scathing takedowns from the Guardian, the Hollywood Reporter and the UK’s The Times.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 5 Nov. 2025
Sarah Gorden and Angelina Anderson both offered a scathing rebuke of Eddy.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
Russian reaction Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week that Moscow’s leadership was waiting to see the specifics of any deal to supply Tomahawks, but was scathing about the prospect.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
The appeals court decision was, at times, scathing toward the state's arguments in the case.
—Hayleigh Colombo, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scathing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scathing
Adjective
-
Perhaps the biggest pop culture development regarding Cheney's life, however, came in 2018, when Adam McKay helmed the satirical biographical film Vice using inspiration from the political figure and those around him.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
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Girl Dinner is a satirical novel about a college sophomore, Nina, and professor, Sloane, who become involved with an infamous sorority known as The House.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Under the guidance of Julian Nagelsmann, Germany has rediscovered its attacking rhythm and pressing intensity, signaling a potential return to the elite.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement has angered many Americans by wearing masks while on duty, attacking peaceful protesters and arresting mostly people with no criminal record.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Reactions to the freestyle depended on whether or not you were tuned into its sarcastic frequency.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead of slamming it home, Antetokounmpo soared over the defenders to make an improbable catch, landed and flicked an on-target pass to Rollins for a corner 3 before falling out of bounds to give Milwaukee a 14-point lead.—
Eric Nehm,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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His brief mention of the shutdown focused on slamming Democrats.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Chinese reports stated that the attack-type wolf robots cleared barbed wire and trenches in three to five minutes, while the transport variants followed closely behind.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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In the yard, decorations include nooses, hanging bodies, guards in towers and barbed wire fences.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Swap apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice for a different acidic punch.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Nov. 2025
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But in cheeses with a pH of 5 or lower (more acidic), no virus was found.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Lynx lost that game, and then, with Collier in a boot on the bench and her coach suspended for excoriating the referees in her defense, came up short in the decisive Game Four, too.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
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There’s no question Newsom — who had spent months excoriating refiners for gouging consumers on gasoline prices, even calling a special legislative session to impose new regulations — changed his tune after two refineries announced plans to shut down.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scathing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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