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
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Recent Examples of scourges
Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
At the film’s outset, Inez kidnaps her young son Terry from foster care shortly after her release from prison, and A Thousand and One chronicles her attempt to parent despite the scourges of abuse, police brutality and systemic racism.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
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
-
Sticks, staff, swords, sabers, whips or scepters including extendable items.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
With a brief mini-break in the rearview mirror, the Charlotte Hornets got back to action Thursday night, taking on one of their nemeses in the Southeast Division.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Dec. 2025
-
There’s talk of death and murder (comically), and many nemeses are intent on destroying each other.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
With the launch of the Culling Game in the aftermath, 10 colonies from across Japan are transformed into dens of curses as part of a plot orchestrated by the most wicked sorcerer in history, Noritoshi Kamo.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Up ahead, two men argued, their shouts and curses drowning out the hum of a helicopter that circled in the distance.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This horror ravages Africa far beyond Nigeria.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
-
However, as a geostorm ravages Earth, Athena and Hen’s space mission teeters on the edge.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And while Americans’ overall ideological self-identification looks stable in the aggregate (37% very conservative/conservative, 34% moderate, 25% very liberal/liberal), a January 2025 Gallup poll shows that this steadiness hides tectonic tensions tugging beneath the surface.—
Robert T.F. Downes,
Hartford Courant,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Now, Scieszka’s debut filters Tuck Everlasting-esque immortality through the social media age—examining how someone hides their eternal lifespan from facial recognition technology and venture capitalists looking to capitalize upon family property and the ultimate anti-aging secrets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
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
-
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is now making ominous threats to Cuba.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has issued direct threats against each regime, intensifying the pressure on Tehran and Caracas alike.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One such affliction is Tay-Sachs, a disease that disproportionately affects people of Ashkenazi descent and destroys brain and spinal nerve cells.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The movie follows a similar arc, with an additional subplot in which the creature destroys the city while under the influence of a powerful demon.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scourges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourges. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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