scourge
noun
a whip or lash, especially for the infliction of punishment or torture.
scourging
-
present participleof scourge.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
In 1869, the British critic Matthew Arnold observed that Protestant Americans had internalized Hebraism’s scourging demands for “conduct and obedience” and “strictness of conscience”:
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024
When Fo won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1997, the Nobel Committee praised him for “emulating the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
That has left innovation, with the exception of a few one-person shows, largely to small theaters in rural areas where the pandemic has been less scourging.
From New York Times ● Oct. 14, 2020
In awarding the Nobel to Mr. Fo, the Swedish Academy noted that he “emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2016
They involved doing penance for a sin not yet committed, intense and fervent penance accompanied by scourging and flagellation, so as to build up, as it were, a store of credit.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
