1
as in whips
a long thin or flexible tool for striking
the museum display included a scourge, thumbscrews, and other notorious instruments of torture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in nemeses
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in curses
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in ravages
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hides
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scourges
Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The vaccination schedule for infants and children has been updated throughout the years as new shots become available, offering better protection against childhood scourges.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
Individualism, selfishness—these are scourges for your team’s success.
—Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The vaccination schedule for infants and children has been updated throughout the years as new shots become available, offering better protection against childhood scourges.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourges
Noun
-
The results could help scientists plan future Mars missions by accounting for the troublesome dust that coats rover solar panels and whips across landing sites during descent, the researchers say.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
My focus was always trying to bring the kind of complexities of the kink world to the screen…trying to find the warmth in that community rather than be like Prince Albert, whips, chains, and gags.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Nevermore kids soon encounter their ideal nemeses in a troop of normie paramilitary Boy Scout types who’ve reserved the camp for the same days.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The last of the old curses and the purest championship drought in the sport.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Set for Vietnamese release in the fourth quarter of 2025, The Whispering Spirit is based on ancient myths about special days known as ‘Tam Nương’ that have curses placed on them.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As extreme heat ravages New York City this summer, the lives of thousands detained on Rikers Island hang in the balance.—
Darren Mack,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Target’s sale has discounts on thousands of storage furniture pieces, like this soft and roomy fleece bench with a lift-top and this cabinet that discreetly hides and deodorizes trash cans.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The haziness of the energy balance hides this brief imbalance, which allows the virtual particles to influence the real world.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
So there's going to be people, vigilantes, superheroes that are involved in that.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Armed with clubs and pistols, vigilantes went door to door, herding more than three hundred men, women, and children through the streets and out of town.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Davis and Lively each are dangerous lob threats.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The mother of Jacob De La Rosa, a 15-year-old Polytechnic High School student who was stabbed near the campus Friday afternoon, believes that her son’s death stemmed from threats that were made to Jacob’s older brothers.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These newly aware companies’ high-speed trading of financial projects destroys the Earth itself, forcing humans to flee to the margins of the solar system.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Most of the time, a person’s immune system identifies and destroys these cells.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Flow Space,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scourges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourges. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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