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
“I became worried that despite the inclusive design and urban planning, the project would have a scarlet letter, and residents would become stigmatized before the building even opened,” Pooley said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
It is a permanent portrait of shame — the legal system’s scarlet letter.
From New York Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
It is not a scarlet letter enough for me that detestable owners are merely forced — or encouraged — to sell teams they ruined in myriad ways.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023
Hell's flames would reach unto the tree of life Itself and singe thy mother's heart, if she Could see that scarlet letter on thy breast.
From The Scarlet Stigma A Drama in Four Acts by Smith, James Edgar
