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
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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of scourge
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
There may be a few folks who can salvage this soulless scourge of scarcity.
—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scourge
Noun
Mosquitoes are such a scourge that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named them the world’s deadliest animals.
—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
There may be a few folks who can salvage this soulless scourge of scarcity.
—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
An expensive dollar also scourges industries that compete with imports.
—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scourge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourge
Noun
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The sting of the Australian box jellyfish has been described as being lashed with a whip dipped in burning acid, and is powerful enough to kill an adult in as little as two minutes!
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Squeezed into a latex bodysuit and donning cornrows, Madonna alternately wields a whip, is bound to a chair and poses with a Chihuahua — in matching latex.
Noun
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Thanks to the arch nemesis of both clubs in question, Real Madrid, Alvarez’s market value is believed to be something around the $171 million (€150 million) the mark.
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Ser Simon had been an ally of sorts to Aemond's arch-nemesis, Prince Daemon (Matt Smith).
Noun
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Morgan and her Judgment Day cronies tried to bribe Danhausen to put curses on their opponents.
-
The dust-ups might have driven the Honeywells away from their island paradise, more casualties of the lottery curse.
Verb
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Shana McDiarmid and her now-boyfriend, Cameron, are another couple who benefitted from the foundation after their rental property was ravaged thanks to its proximity to the river.
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Were civic centers nothing more than Trojan horses designed to ravage humanities departments across the nation?
Verb
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For loungability there’s a king bed, a hide-a-bed sofa, a fireplace and theater seats.
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When Fluffy failed to come out of hiding after 24 hours, Melissa Kirby and her husband began making and posting missing cat posters around their neighborhood.
Noun
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Additionally, Thursday morning’s mission was the last to use the Atlas V’s most powerful configuration with five strap-on solid rocket boosters.
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Pz’ spends much of his proper debut, No Turning Back, equally baffled by his good fortune and ready to fasten it to his side with a Gucci strap before anyone else can take it.
Noun
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Outfits like anti-migrant vigilante group March and March have capitalized on this shift, expanding their footprint from the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province directly into economic hubs such as Gauteng.
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Citizen Vigilante stars Hammer as Sanders, a vigilante who takes justice into his own hands.
Noun
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Now, decades later, weekday lunches have become the bane of my existence.
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Thankfully, the in-room fax machines that were the bane of Bob Harris’ existence are long gone, too.
Cite this Entry
“Scourge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourge. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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