scathing

adjective

scath·​ing ˈskā-ṯẖiŋ 

: bitterly severe

a scathing condemnation

scathingly adverb

Synonyms

• acerb
• acerbic
• acid
• acidic
• acidulous
• acrid
• barbed
• biting
• caustic
• corrosive
• cutting
• mordant
• pungent
• sarcastic
• sardonic
• satiric
• satirical
• scalding
• sharp
• smart-aleck
• smart-alecky
• smart-mouthed
• snarky
• tart

Choose the Right Synonym for scathing

caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing mean stingingly incisive.

caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Examples of scathing in a Sentence

a scathing review of the book

a scathing rebuttal of the latest theory concerning the assassination

Recent Examples on the Web

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question regarding Elon Musk's recent scathing remarks about President Donald Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a scathing dissent joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, and joined in part by Barrett. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2025

Oil executives were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in anonymous responses to the Dallas Fed’s first-quarter survey. —Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2025

Beyond the support ticket: customer service stories that built business 48-hour pricing overhaul When a scathing one-star review accused ZeroBounce of misleading pricing, CEO Liviu Tanase saw past the criticism. —Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for scathing

• bathing
• lathing
• sunbathing

Kids Definition

scathing

adjective

scath·​ing

ˈskā-t͟hiŋ

: painfully harsh

a scathing look

scathingly

-t͟hiŋ-lē

adverb