How to Use scarlet letter in a Sentence

scarlet letter

noun
Definition of scarlet letternext
  • Back in that time, the divorcée is like the scarlet letter.
    — Jeff Conway, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2021
  • The goal is to help those in need, not to brand people with some sort of a scarlet letter that could then trigger them to lash out.
    — Byjohn Cohen, ABC News, 7 July 2022
  • This scarlet letter will drive him crazy — or, perhaps one should say, crazier.
    — Frank Rich, Daily Intelligencer, 13 Dec. 2017
  • And yet even from the desk of his Emmy-winning studio show, his empty ring finger is waved like a scarlet letter for all to see.
    — Mitch Goldich, SI.com, 13 June 2018
  • But when someone leaves, the community labels them an 'apostate' – the scarlet letter of the FLDS.
    — Lauren Lantry, ABC News, 22 June 2023
  • On the road to Hangzhou, officers at two highway exits saw his digital scarlet letter and stopped him from taking the exit.
    — Paul Mozur, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2020
  • Being a divorcée cuts both ways on Lynn's classic takedown of the unfair double standards for women who dare to wear the scarlet letter of singledom.
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 14 Sep. 2021
  • The threat posed by the sous vide machine—which, after one failed attempt, left chard juice fanned across my chest like blood splatter for the rest of service, a scarlet letter in bright, unmistakable green.
    — Caitlin Raux Gunther, Bon Appétit, 23 Feb. 2022
  • Truth-telling and acts of integrity beget the scarlet letter of party disloyalty.
    — Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2021
  • Still, the felony conviction remained Mr. Kerik’s scarlet letter.
    — Dan Barry, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2020
  • Hayes and Jackson have already served their decades in prison, but their felonies remain on their records — a scarlet letter that continues to affect every aspect of their lives, even in freedom.
    — oregonlive, 18 Mar. 2021
  • Like a Hawthorne character forever branded — and cursed — with a birthmark, a black veil or a scarlet letter, Pietro is haunted by the dread that his ugly personal truth will come out.
    — Steven G. Kellman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2021
  • While Jackson still carries the scars (and something of a scarlet letter) from the incident, Timberlake has been welcomed back to America's biggest stage with open arms.
    — Alexa Shouneyia, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2017
  • In other school districts, like Warwick, kids whose parents fell behind on payments are given cold sandwiches — what some call the scarlet letter of the cafeteria world.
    — Kara Baskin, BostonGlobe.com, 13 June 2019
  • For seasoning, sprinkle in such themes as the fragility of reputation and the indelible stain of an Internet scarlet letter.
    — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2019
  • If several people take this action against you, a warning appears on your profile, Clubhouse’s version of a scarlet letter.
    — Steven Levy, Wired, 17 Mar. 2021
  • But, more importantly, Avila’s ability to speak English was seen as an asset instead of as a scarlet letter.
    — Gustavo Solis, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2019
  • But, more importantly, Avila’s ability to speak English was seen as an asset instead of a scarlet letter.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2019
  • Twitter Blue check marks have become a sort of scarlet letter on the platform, and subscribers are often teased for purchasing their verification and accused of clout chasing.
    — Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2023
  • In the post-FBI investigation world, merely being involved in college basketball carries with it the scarlet letter of corruption, which should give those who chose it as their profession plenty of incentive to clean it up.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2017
  • But unvaccinated workers like Mr. Taranto fear that any company policy that identifies them is like a scarlet letter on their chests.
    — New York Times, 7 Aug. 2021
  • By all accounts, Antjuan has learned from his father’s mistakes, proving the sins of a father do not automatically transfer to a child like a scarlet letter passed down from generation to generation.
    — Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press, 29 Aug. 2019
  • But Arikan, a Republican representing Harford and Baltimore counties, called the practice is discriminatory, with the masks serving as a scarlet letter of sorts.
    — S. Wayne Carter Jr., baltimoresun.com, 24 May 2021
  • Infection with Serratia was so rare that the outbreak was extensively investigated by the University to identify the origins of this scarlet letter bug.
    — Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2015
  • Unvaccinated players also have to wear a scarlet letter inside their practice facilities.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scarlet letter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: