1
as in whips
a long thin or flexible tool for striking
the museum display included a scourge, thumbscrews, and other notorious instruments of torture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in nemeses
one who inflicts punishment in return for an injury or offense
the attorney general, who just happens to be a candidate for governor, is a self-proclaimed scourge of organized crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in curses
a source of harm or misfortune
the sheer ubiquity of food is proving to be the scourge of humanity, as evidenced by the obesity epidemic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in ravages
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hides
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scourges
Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The vaccination schedule for infants and children has been updated throughout the years as new shots become available, offering better protection against childhood scourges.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
Individualism, selfishness—these are scourges for your team’s success.
—Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The vaccination schedule for infants and children has been updated throughout the years as new shots become available, offering better protection against childhood scourges.
—Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourges
Noun
-
The wind whips, the vegetation snaps, the electrical towers howl.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The grill also sells fresh cheese curds, mozza whips, and cheese sticks.—
Sofia Joseph,
jsonline.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The Nevermore kids soon encounter their ideal nemeses in a troop of normie paramilitary Boy Scout types who’ve reserved the camp for the same days.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Seth was given the job to create a list of curses and a list of clean words that Steve could shout.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As extreme heat ravages New York City this summer, the lives of thousands detained on Rikers Island hang in the balance.—
Darren Mack,
New York Daily News,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The game requires good reflexes—especially for bosses and platform challenges—that can punish even small mistakes with relatively large penalties and hides large chunks of the game behind difficulty gates with no tuning options that might offer some relief.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Armed with clubs and pistols, vigilantes went door to door, herding more than three hundred men, women, and children through the streets and out of town.—
Beth Lew-Williams,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Crump’s high-profile cases include representing the families of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black people whose deaths by law enforcement officials and vigilantes sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The threats are sometimes even leveled against family members.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Looking at the depth chart, the Eagles now have three threats coming out of the backfield.—
Kevin McCormick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Producing traditional paper destroys trees and is resource-intensive, requiring up to 13 liters of water for every page made.—
Sandy Ong,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In those situations, the team typically takes the potentially explosive item to a remote area and destroys it, just to be safe, Putthoff said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scourges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourges. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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