scourgenoun [ C usually singular ]
uk/skɜːdʒ/us/skɝːdʒ/something or someone that causes great suffering or a lot of trouble:
the scourge of war/poverty/drugs
Pop-up ads have been described as the scourge of the Internet.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Difficult things and people
- a (heavy) cross to bear idiom
- a bitter pill (to swallow) idiom
- a hard/tough nut to crack idiom
- albatross
- bane
- chill
- equation
- handicap
- hiccup
- hot potato
- impediment
- job
- labyrinth
- liability
- nut
- the chill wind of sth idiom
- the hard way idiom
- the sharp end
- thorn in your flesh/side idiom
- tie-up
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scourgeverb [ T ]
uk/skɜːdʒ/us/skɝːdʒ/to cause great suffering or a lot of trouble:
The country has been scourged by (= has suffered very much because of) famine in recent years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Damaging and spoiling
- adulterate
- alloy
- at the expense of sb idiom
- at-risk
- bandh
- bang up sb/sth
- gild the lily idiom
- gloss
- gnaw
- gnaw away at sth
- go west idiom
- goonda
- poison
- ravages
- ruin
- shatter
- shoot sth up
- shred
- sour
- tell on sb
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