Adjacent Words

scathing definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: marked by harshly abusive criticism; "his scathing remarks about silly lady novelists"; "her vituperative railing" [syn: scathing, vituperative]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1794 bitterly severe <a scathing condemnation> Synonyms: see caustic • scathingly adverb

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Scathe Scathe (sk[=a][th]; 277), Scath Scath (sk[a^]th; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scathed (sk[=a][th]d or sk[a^]tht); p. pr. & vb. n. Scathing (sk[=a][th]"[i^]ng or sk[a^]th"-).] [Icel. ska[eth]a; akin to AS. scea[eth]an, sce[eth][eth]an, Dan. skade, Sw. skada, D. & G. schaden, OHG. scad[=o]n, Goth. ska[thorn]jan.] To do harm to; to injure; to damage; to waste; to destroy. As when heaven's fire Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines. --Milton. Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul. --W. Irving.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you say that someone is being scathing about something, you mean that they are being very critical of it. His report was scathing about Loyalist and Republican terror groups... ADJ

Moby Thesaurus

acerb, acerbate, acerbic, acid, acidic, acidulent, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, astringent, biting, bitter, brutal, burning, caustic, corroding, corrosive, cutting, damaging, double-edged, edged, escharotic, ferocious, fierce, harmful, harsh, incisive, keen, mordacious, mordant, nasty, penetrating, piercing, poignant, rigorous, rough, salty, savage, scorching, searing, severe, sharp, stabbing, stern, stinging, strident, stringent, tart, trenchant, vehement, violent, virulent, vitriolic, withering