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

In his essay, Baron Cohen says that’s the point, because the character is a satirical figure designed to expose prejudice.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Riehle played Tom Smykowski, a cynical Initech product manager, in Mike Judge’s 1999 satirical comedy Office Space, sharing credits with Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root and Gary Cole.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of satiric

Verb

In July, Brown pleaded guilty to a count of affray at London’s Southwark Crown Court for attacking a music producer with a tequila bottle on the head.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
The approval of Revolution Medicines’ pancreatic cancer drug Rasonque earlier this year showed that a medicine capable of attacking mutations in a group of genes called RAS could prolong survival for patients with the particularly aggressive cancer.

— Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 26 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

The familyâs legal team filed complaints targeting Iranian officials who bankrolled Hamas, slamming the ICC for double standards and demanding arrest warrants for the regime bosses backing the atrocity.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Alex Alvarado’s political action committee is behind the texts slamming Rodriguez in an apparent effort to help Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier stay in office.

— Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slamming

Adjective

Palestinian activist Eid Hatlin said barbed wire in the yard was placed by settlers.

— Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences, tactical roads, anti-tank walls and other fortifications to what's already one of the world's most heavily armed borders.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of barbed

Verb

From behind a tree, Neil and Florence observed Brenda scolding little Neil.

— S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of scolding

Adjective

Equatic pumps seawater through an electrolyzer, where an electric current passes through a sandwich of plastic and metal plates and separates the water into two streams, one alkaline and one acidic, while also producing oxygen and hydrogen.

— Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Under alkaline conditions, splitting water molecules takes over 100 times longer than in acidic environments.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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