unscathed

adjective

un·​scathed ˌən-ˈskāt͟hd 

: wholly unharmed : not injured

Did you know?

Can you be scathed instead of unscathed?

We often hear of a person coming through some difficult circumstance, or dangerous endeavor, and “emerging unscathed,” yet we rarely hear of anyone “emerging scathed.” Why is this? Scathe is a word: it may function as a noun (“harm, injury”) or as a verb (“to do harm to,” “to assail with withering denunciation”). It is not as commonly found as it once was, and now primarily serves as the basis for the adjective scathing (“bitterly severe”) or for the latter portion of unscathed. So you can say that someone “emerged scathed” if you wish, but be advised that it will have a curiously archaic sound to it.

Examples of unscathed in a Sentence

She escaped from the wreckage unscathed.

The administration was left relatively unscathed by the scandal.

Recent Examples on the Web

He’s also repeatedly emerged unscathed from various court proceedings, including last year’s U.K. criminal trial and a civil suit brought by the actor Anthony Rapp in 2022. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 May 2024

But that didn’t leave Suarez, who was not named as a defendant, entirely unscathed. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

unscathed

adjective

un·​scathed ˌən-ˈskāt͟hd 

ˈən-

: completely unharmed : not injured