scourge

noun
UK: /skɜːdʒ/
US: /skɝːdʒ/

  1. Something that causes great suffering or harm.

    1. Poverty is a real scourge for many families.
    2. Corruption is a scourge that undermines the country's progress.

  2. A person or thing used to punish or criticize someone severely.

    1. He saw himself as a scourge of injustice and corruption.
    2. Critics viewed the new regulations as a scourge on personal freedoms.

Synonyms

punish whip afflict curse affliction bane chastise torment plague
scourge transitive-verb

  1. To cause great suffering or harm to something.

    1. Disease can scourge a community if it is not contained.
    2. The land was scourged by drought and famine for many years.

  2. To punish or criticize severely.

    1. He scourged the company for its unethical business practices.
    2. The media scourged the politician after the scandal broke out.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "scourge" in English means: Something that causes great suffering or harm., A person or thing used to punish or criticize someone severely..

The phonetic transcription of "scourge" is /skɜːdʒ/ in British English and /skɝːdʒ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "scourge": punish, whip, afflict, curse, affliction, bane, chastise, torment, plague.

Example usage of "scourge": "Poverty is a real scourge for many families.". More examples on the page.