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

Closely following the jailer into the dismal apartment appeared that individual, of singular aspect, whose presence in the crowd had been of such deep interest to the wearer of the scarlet letter.

From The Scarlet Letter by Foote, Mary Hallock