scathing

adjective

scath·​ing ˈskā-ṯẖiŋ 

: bitterly severe

a scathing condemnation

scathingly adverb

Synonyms

• acerb
• acerbic
• acid
• acidic
• acidulous
• acrid
• barbed
• biting
• caustic
• corrosive
• cutting
• mordant
• pungent
• sarcastic
• sardonic
• satiric
• satirical
• scalding
• sharp
• smart-aleck
• smart-alecky
• smart-mouthed
• snarky
• tart

Choose the Right Synonym for scathing

caustic, mordant, acrid, scathing mean stingingly incisive.

caustic suggests a biting wit.

caustic comments

mordant suggests a wit that is used with deadly effectiveness.

mordant reviews of the play

acrid implies bitterness and often malevolence.

acrid invective

scathing implies indignant attacks delivered with fierce severity.

a scathing satire

Examples of scathing in a Sentence

a scathing review of the book

a scathing rebuttal of the latest theory concerning the assassination

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate Budget Committee released a scathing 162-page report on two private equity firms' efforts to wring profits out of other hospital companies in underserved communities that put patients in danger. —Sheena Samu, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2025

Glaser is known for, among other things, her scathing insult comedy. —Judy Berman, TIME, 6 Jan. 2025

Latin American users flooded X (formerly Twitter) with scathing reactions, many sharing a viral banner denouncing the film's Golden Globe victory. —Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025

But the context was eerily similar: a palpable antipathy towards the owners manifesting itself in scathing banners inside the Stadio Olimpico on matchdays and outside the team’s Trigoria training complex. —James Horncastle, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1794, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

scathing

adjective

scath·​ing

ˈskā-t͟hiŋ

: painfully harsh

a scathing look

scathingly

-t͟hiŋ-lē

adverb