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

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

"We will never stop fighting to end the scourge of waste crime that scars our environment and communities."

From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026

It’s both a possibly sophisticated performance enhancer and the scourge of picky eaters, brand new to elite endurance athletes, but all too familiar to generations of intransigent five-year-olds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Inquiry was made into the origin of the scourge, and by degrees various facts came out which excited public indignation in a high degree.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• curse
• pest
• terror