scathing
Americanadjective
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bitterly severe, as a remark.
a scathing review of the play.
-
harmful, injurious, or searing.
adjective
-
harshly critical; scornful
a scathing remark
-
damaging; painful
Other Word Forms
- scathingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of scathing
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.
That’s the approach SoFi Technologies is taking in the face of a scathing short report, and it appears to be paying off.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
“We were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast,” Colbert said in a scathing 6½-minute monologue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
Instead of the usual warm embrace and pledge of continued cooperation, Vance delivered a scathing indictment of their policies and their principles.
From Salon • Feb. 17, 2026
The past week or so, Percy had imagined a lot of scathing things he might say to Nico when they met again, but the guy looked so frail and sad, Percy couldn’t muster much anger.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
