as in defects
something that spoils the appearance or completeness of a thing
the scars left by carelessly scratching the car door with one's keys
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cliffs
a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice
at the next bend in the river, a scar of red sandstone steeply rises to over 100 feet
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 scars
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
The Wild core has gotten more mature — hardened by scars from past playoffs.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
In the teen’s case, five large keloids abruptly burst from her chickenpox scars, breaking out in different places on her body—on her right jaw, chest, abdomen, and right flank.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
In 2020, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft brought samples of an asteroid named Ryugu to Earth — and now, scientists examining those samples found that the object bears the scars of a recent encounter with tiny space rocks.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Before the restrictions, Amnesty had used destruction and burn scars visible in Planet imagery to investigate the February airstrike on an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, which killed at least 150 children.
—Krishna Karra, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
My body is still covered in scars.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Many are unable to speak openly about people’s suffering from the scars of war and state repression.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Some survivors live with minor scars, while others continue to deal with the lasting effects of their injuries.
—Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
Mary, meanwhile, walks away with visible scars, although the real healing was all internal.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
The Wild core has gotten more mature — hardened by scars from past playoffs.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
In the teen’s case, five large keloids abruptly burst from her chickenpox scars, breaking out in different places on her body—on her right jaw, chest, abdomen, and right flank.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
In 2020, Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft brought samples of an asteroid named Ryugu to Earth — and now, scientists examining those samples found that the object bears the scars of a recent encounter with tiny space rocks.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Before the restrictions, Amnesty had used destruction and burn scars visible in Planet imagery to investigate the February airstrike on an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, which killed at least 150 children.
—Krishna Karra, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
My body is still covered in scars.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Many are unable to speak openly about people’s suffering from the scars of war and state repression.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
Some survivors live with minor scars, while others continue to deal with the lasting effects of their injuries.
—Jeff Truesdell, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scars
Verb
-
Chops, gouges, wounds it like the shadow grooves on the sidewalks—the sun is setting earlier.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Drink, drugs and sometimes tears.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Inheritance often tears families apart and much of that conflict is rooted in poor communication.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The front lid appears to be barely hanging on by a thread, with cuts and gashes throughout.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scars. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
