SCATHING Synonyms: 148 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'scathing' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scathing are acrid , caustic , and mordant . While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity. // a scathing satire

Q: When might 'acrid' be a better fit than 'scathing'?

The synonyms acrid and scathing are sometimes interchangeable, but acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence. // acrid invective

Q: When is it sensible to use 'caustic' instead of 'scathing'?

In some situations, the words caustic and scathing are roughly equivalent. However, caustic suggests a biting wit. // caustic comments

Q: Where would 'mordant' be a reasonable alternative to 'scathing'?

The words mordant and scathing are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness. // mordant reviews of the play

scathing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈskā-ṯẖiŋ

Definition of scathing

as in satiric

marked by the use of wit that is intended to cause hurt feelings a scathing rebuttal of the latest theory concerning the assassination

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scathing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of scathe

as in attacking

to criticize harshly and usually publicly newspaper cartoonists scathed the lecherous governor with a series of cruel caricatures

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective scathing contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scathing are acrid, caustic, and mordant. While all these words mean "stingingly incisive," scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

When might acrid be a better fit than scathing?

The synonyms acrid and scathing are sometimes interchangeable, but acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

When is it sensible to use caustic instead of scathing?

In some situations, the words caustic and scathing are roughly equivalent. However, caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

Where would mordant be a reasonable alternative to scathing?

The words mordant and scathing are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scathing

Adjective

His faith in the club’s innocence seems blind to the scathing core decision made by the independent commission in which City were found guilty of all but one of the charges. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Williams in July referred Brito to the Florida Bar to determine if he should be disciplined in light of her scathing findings after the case was settled. — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Verb

Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026 With tight polls, and without any one candidate being able to boast about the president's endorsement, the three Republicans have tried to boost their candidacies by resorting to scathing personal attacks. — Emily Chang, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scathing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scathing

Adjective

Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards has brought back his satirical Believe That Awards, which went viral in 2025 — reaching 150 million cross-platform views — for crowning Timothée Chalamet white boy of the year.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
The Cockroach movement began as an online satirical campaign this summer after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young people to parasites.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of satiric

Verb

Researchers constructed a hollow fiber membrane lined on the outside with palladium nanoparticles rather than attacking PFAS in open water.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives are seeking the public’s help finding a woman accused of attacking a North Lauderdale store clerk with pepper spray earlier this month.

— David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacking

Adjective

Eidra pushes her tendency to get glib and sarcastic rather than risk being vulnerable and honest to its farthest limits.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
The interest has been driven largely by the brand's casual, sarcastic tone and active participation in online trends.

— Megan Sauer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Verb

Modeling work suggests the duo will keep orbiting our star for millions of years before ultimately slamming into either Earth or Venus.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The impact caused the Camry to spin around, slamming into the back of a southbound 2021 Toyota RAV4.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of slamming

Adjective

Attorneys for the country music icon’s estate claimed Seaver covered his front porch in barbed wire and yellow caution tape, thus delaying the formal delivery of the suit.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 6 Oct. 2026
Their long, barbed tongues can easily wind into ant and termite homes, licking up the bugs inside.

— Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of barbed

Verb

By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Others criticized Anderson for seemingly scolding fans and trying to tell them where to sit.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of scolding

Adjective

Descaling solution is an acidic liquid that reacts with—and therefore breaks down—alkaline mineral build ups that happen over time wherever tap water sits or flows.

— Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026
The Bongulo Paneer — cooked in bamboo — with a coconut and capsicum poriyal blends peanut chutney with acidic gongura sour cream and fiery gunpowder.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of acidic

Verb

Several readers have spoken of appreciation for the columns of mine that intersected sports and society, such as excoriating the NFL for its blackballing of Colin Kaepernick.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Martin Sherman’s play Bent (1979), an excoriating account of the Nazi persecution of homosexuals that is also a story of love between two men in the most terrible circumstances, belongs to this select category.

— Simon Callow, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of excoriating

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scathes

scathing

scatological

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“Scathing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scathing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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