How to Use scathing in a Sentence

scathing

adjective
  • Our out-of-town reviews were scathing.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Who doesn’t love a scathing showbiz satire?
    — Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The reviews have been scathing.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025
  • On its own, that sounds like a scathing rebuke of two teammates.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 2 Nov. 2021
  • Stewart asked in a scathing monologue.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The statement was emotive and scathing.
    — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
  • These are the most scathing book reviews of 2025.
    — Literary Hub, 20 Dec. 2025
  • These are the most scathing book reviews of 2025.
    — Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
  • Calvin started off doing very well but got a few scathing reviews.
    — Kristen Reid, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2021
  • The Chelsea head coach was scathing in his post-game assessment of the game.
    — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The move comes one day after a scathing ethics panel report on his conduct.
    — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2023
  • The melodies get under your skin, the lyrics sear, the diss tracks are scathing, and the ballads will break your heart.
    — Zara Hanawalt, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
  • Britney Spears did it again – this time in a scathing petition.
    — al, 27 July 2021
  • Portland artist Sam Pletcher threw the gotcha grenade with a scathing gram.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Ashley's scathing note to Doug left little doubt about her feelings.
    — Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2021
  • In a scathing order, Nunley laid out why he was compelled to take such a rare step.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Mailata heard the comment, and had a scathing response for Schefter.
    — Mark Kern, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Share your pointed and scathing opinion in the comments section.
    — Ali Solomon, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022
  • Democrats were busy painting a scathing portrait of the president.
    — Author: Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey, Matt Viser, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Nov. 2020
  • But any conclusion that went against it would have to climb mountains, and the reviews would be scathing.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
  • The scathing, public criticism of effort, while not wrong, no longer struck the right chord.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
  • On Wednesday, the union issued a scathing statement.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Two chief deputies have quit in scathing resignation letters.
    — Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
  • His scathing criticism of his parents, who were still alive at the time, created a furor.
    — Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2020
  • In her own words, the brash, scathing sound was born from a primal need to resist the hierarchy.
    — Tanu I. Raj, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2023
  • That is, until a popular streamer gives the game a scathing review.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The Newsroom alumna said she was drawn to the show for its scathing critique on the ultra wealthy.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Employees on the way out the door could be especially scathing.
    — Jeff Horwitz, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2023
  • Chronicles of far-right obedience and moral decadence don’t get much more scathing than this.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
  • Response to Bennett’s sermon was swift and, in many cases, scathing.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scathing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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