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
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
But a positive test result still carries a taint; like a scarlet letter declaring to the world that you have done something wrong.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2022
Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church steps together, a married pair, I might have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path!”
From The Scarlet Letter by Foote, Mary Hallock
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
