scarlet letter
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.
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
Energy consultant Gonzalo Monroy warned that the restructuring “would mark Mexico with a scarlet letter that says Mexico does not honor contracts, it changes the rules, it is arbitrary with inversions.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 16, 2022
Is Hester Prynne the less miserable, think you, for that scarlet letter on her breast?”
From The Scarlet Letter by Foote, Mary Hallock
