scarlet letter
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of scarlet letter
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I believe he lived with a scarlet letter on him because of it.
From Los Angeles Times
“But now I have, like, a scarlet letter and the medical stuff so even if I could go to work, my face would be doing gymnastics.”
From Los Angeles Times
“It is far worse than any scarlet letter could ever be,” he added.
From Seattle Times
She equated the episode to being “painted with such a massive scarlet letter.”
From Los Angeles Times
Faculty, staff and other students could also report specific concerns about an individual’s professionalism, resulting in write-ups the contents of which could become attached to their permanent records, following them like scarlet letters.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
