scarlet letter

NOUN

mark on sinner

Synonyms

WEAK

badge of infamy bar sinister mark of Cain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I believe he lived with a scarlet letter on him because of it.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Controversial newsmakers—Monica Lewinsky, Tonya Harding, Lorena Bobbitt among them—had the term pinioned to them like a scarlet letter, stripping away their accomplishments and leaving only scorned husks of their real selves.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2025

“It is far worse than any scarlet letter could ever be,” he added.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 3, 2024

It is a permanent portrait of shame — the legal system’s scarlet letter.

From New York Times • Aug. 24, 2023

See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?

From The Scarlet Letter by Foote, Mary Hallock