scourge

American  

[skurj] / skɜrdʒ /

noun

1. a whip or lash, especially for the infliction of punishment or torture.

2. a person or thing that applies or administers punishment or severe criticism.

3. a cause of affliction or calamity.

   Disease and famine are scourges of humanity.

   Synonyms:

   bane, plague

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verb (used with object)

scourged, scourging

1. to whip with a scourge; lash.

2. to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.

   Synonyms:

   castigate, correct

scourge British  

/ skɜːdʒ /

noun

1. a person who harasses, punishes, or causes destruction

2. a means of inflicting punishment or suffering

3. a whip used for inflicting punishment or torture

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verb

1. to whip; flog

2. to punish severely

Other Word Forms

• scourger
  noun
• scourgingly
  adverb
• self-scourging
  adjective
• unscourged
  adjective
• unscourging
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of scourge

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French escorge, derivative of escorgier to whip < Vulgar Latin *excorrigiāre, derivative of Latin corrigia thong, whip ( see ex- ¹); (v.) Middle English < Old French escorgier

Explanation

If something makes people miserable or causes them great pain and torment, it's a scourge. A corrupt government is one kind of scourge, and a plague of insects that destroys a farmer's crops is another kind of scourge. Dating from the 13th century, scourge originally meant "a whip used as punishment." It wasn't long until the figurative meaning of "something causing pain or misery" became even more common. A scourge tends to be something that causes folks to suffer terribly, whether it's a tsunami or unjust laws. You can also use this word as a verb: "Cutting the city's transportation budget will do nothing but scourge people without cars."

Example Sentences

"Plastic pollution has reached alarming levels," said Vincent Kunda, head of Kongo River, an NGO which raises awareness of the scourge.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

One cites her newfound sobriety as evidence that people can change — a nod to Steyer’s self-proclaimed metamorphosis from hedge fund titan to scourge of big corporations.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Serkis’ attempt to update this story isn’t a scourge on animation or children’s media; it’s simply not as observant and symbolic as it should be.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

"For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labour," Greer said.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

In trying to get rid of one insect, they have brought on a scourge of a much more destructive one.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• curse
• pest
• terror