Synonyms of scourge

scourge 1 of 2

noun

ˈskərj 

1

as in whip

a long thin or flexible tool for striking

the museum display included a scourge, thumbscrews, and other notorious instruments of torture

Synonyms & Similar Words

• whip
• strap
• cane
• lash
• baton
• flogger
• switch
• bat
• knout
• birch
• crop
• hickory
• rattan
• bullwhip
• quirt
• bludgeon
• blacksnake
• cudgel
• rawhide
• bastinado
• billy
• flail
• billy club
• cowhide
• staff
• cat-o'-nine-tails
• club
• nightstick

2

as in nemesis

one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense

the attorney general, who just happens to be a candidate for governor, is a self-proclaimed scourge of organized crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nemesis
• vigilante
• avenger
• punisher
• chastiser
• castigator
• revenger
• redresser
• righter
• requiter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• redeemer
• vindicator
• ransomer

3

as in curse

a source of harm or misfortune

the sheer ubiquity of food is proving to be the scourge of humanity, as evidenced by the obesity epidemic

Synonyms & Similar Words

• curse
• nemesis
• bane
• threat
• menace
• affliction
• danger
• risk
• hazard
• peril
• trouble
• hex
• jinx
• pitfall
• snag
• hoodoo
• catch
• booby trap

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• benefit
• support
• assistance
• aid
• relief
• advantage
• blessing
• gift
• good
• help
• boon
• windfall
• godsend
• comfort
• felicity
• protection
• joy
• pleasure
• manna
• safety
• defense
• security
• delight
• shield
• solace
• consolation
• armor
• guard
• safeguard

scourge

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to ravage

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ravage
• destroy
• devastate
• ruin
• plunder
• eradicate
• sack
• wreck
• desolate
• extirpate
• obliterate
• loot
• despoil
• wipe out
• strip
• pillage
• overwhelm
• waste
• annihilate
• expunge
• harry
• vaporize
• decimate
• extinguish
• shatter
• total
• foray
• maraud
• smash
• demolish
• mow
• overthrow
• wrack
• nuke
• overrun
• rub out
• raze
• overpower
• crush

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recover
• restore
• rehabilitate
• redeem
• patch
• fix
• repair
• mend
• recondition
• revamp

2

as in to whip

to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible

scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark

Synonyms & Similar Words

• whip
• hide
• slash
• leather
• lash
• flick
• hit
• tan
• flagellate
• slap
• whale
• thrash
• flail
• switch
• cut
• horsewhip
• birch
• flog
• smack
• knock
• bat
• punch
• spank
• lick
• maul
• cowhide
• rawhide
• bang
• strap
• pound
• whack
• cane
• swipe
• clip
• beat
• knout
• quirt
• smite
• clap
• swat
• club
• box
• cudgel
• thump
• pelt
• touch up
• slug
• crack
• rough
• clout
• pummel
• bludgeon
• clobber
• slate
• sock
• hammer
• blackjack
• lam
• drub
• bop
• bust
• buffet
• work over
• thwack
• fustigate
• bash
• paddle
• batter
• belt
• slog
• wallop
• cuff
• paste
• mangle
• whup
• lather
• lambaste
• lace
• bung
• whop
• thresh
• pistol-whip
• belabor
• pommel
• baste
• fib
• tromp

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scourge

Noun

The same relentlessness that built Ackman’s reputation as a scourge of corporate excess—and, to critics, a bully spoiling for a fight—has increasingly spilled beyond balance sheets and boardrooms. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Plenty of others bragged about how their normally less-than-healthy eating habits would protect them from the diarrheal scourge. — Nikki McCann Ramirez, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Verb

Sylvia scourges herself with an intensity that would make hairshirted flagellants seem soft. — Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2024

The tragedy inspired a poem by twelve-year-old Benjamin Franklin and a funeral oration by the scourging Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather. — Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023