1
as in whip
a long thin or flexible tool for striking
the museum display included a scourge, thumbscrews, and other notorious instruments of torture
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2
as in nemesis
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 curse
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to ravage
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to whip
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scourge
Npr Staff, NPR, 23 Jan. 2026
Attached to Joiner’s filing was a 2022 article from a local TV station documenting the scourge of barn squatters at the Albuquerque Downs, including an incident in which police caught one trespassing individual using meth on the premises.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Like its American rival, the Tiger was initially intended to scourge Soviet tank battalions, but was refashioned for multi-role capabilities.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for scourge
Noun
The administration abruptly halted USAID's global health work, which had saved millions of lives from scourges like AIDS, malaria and malnutrition over the course of six decades.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 23 Jan. 2026
Attached to Joiner’s filing was a 2022 article from a local TV station documenting the scourge of barn squatters at the Albuquerque Downs, including an incident in which police caught one trespassing individual using meth on the premises.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
The tragedy inspired a poem by twelve-year-old Benjamin Franklin and a funeral oration by the scourging Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather.
—Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Like its American rival, the Tiger was initially intended to scourge Soviet tank battalions, but was refashioned for multi-role capabilities.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for scourge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourge
Noun
-
In the video, Imhof stands alone at the ocean’s edge, repeatedly striking the water with a whip.—
Will Fenstermaker,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In this case, that meant channeling Looney Tunes (hence the sticks of dynamite), using Wes Anderson-style whip pans, and having Big Poe run Saint Chroma over with his car.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Caleb Landry Jones stars as the titular bloodsucker, while Christoph Waltz plays his nemesis in Van Helsing.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
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And while Warriors nemesis LeBron James is expected to play for the Lakers, his teammate Luka Doncic will likely be out after injuring his hamstring on Thursday against the 76ers.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those declines are making Berkshire's more than $350 billion in cash look more like a blessing than a curse.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Classical Amid all the constant wondering of when things will get better, the slow drip of time may feel like a curse.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wildfires have also ravaged grasslands used to graze cattle, according to the White House.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
His family emigrated to escape the proxy Cold War conflicts that ravaged the nation from 1978 to 1990.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Police also found marijuana in a backpack, and one of the suspects tried to conceal his weapon by taking it out of his waistband and hiding it under the car seat, the release states.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That's why the Club digs into a level of detail others might want to hide.—
,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The latter is tough to find because most bras that are tailored to those with large busts have intricate straps and hardware to provide support, which results in a stiff, uncomfortable, and restrictive fit.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
8 Feb. 2026
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Hughes paid a photographer $2,500 to spend an afternoon photographing Jane rolling around on a stack of hay, holding a pistol, blouse straps at her arms, revealing just enough.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Square-jawed detectives were tripping over corpses at midtown construction sites, blind vigilantes were redecorating Hell’s Kitchen with body parts and even poor Lester the doorman ended up dead in an Upper West Side courtyard fountain.—
Benjamin Svetkey,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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And Takaichi’s stimulus-heavy prescription for the economy has shaken bond vigilantes, while analysts have also warned about the possibility of a worsening debt crisis.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, as if there was any doubt where this was headed, the Heat made sure there would not be another third-period collapse, which largely has been the bane of this uneven season.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
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Plastic, that bane of California policymakers and activists, is hardly recycled.—
Kerry Jackson,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scourge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourge. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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