Word
scar
US/ˈskɑɹ/
UK/skˈɑː/
Definitions
01mark on the skin
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine
n. a permanent mark on your skin that stays after a cut, burn, or wound heals.
n. a mark left on the skin or within body tissue where a wound, burn, or sore has not completely healed and fibrous connective tissue has developed.
“He has a small scar on his knee from a cycling accident when he was ten.”
“The surgeon explained that while the incision was necessary, the resulting scar would fade significantly over the next twelve months.”
02emotional damage
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a lasting feeling of sadness or fear caused by a very bad experience in the past.
n. a lasting psychological effect or emotional trauma resulting from a distressing experience.
“The war left deep mental scars on the soldiers who returned home.”
“Psychologists noted that the childhood neglect had left invisible scars that continued to influence his adult relationships and self-esteem.”
03rocky cliff
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun British English · Dialect
n. a steep, rocky cliff or a part of a mountain where rocks stick out.
n. a steep high cliff or a prominent rock outcrop, particularly common in the limestone districts of northern England.
“We climbed up the limestone scar to see the view across the valley.”
“The rugged scar dominated the landscape, its grey limestone face contrasting sharply with the lush green fields below.”
Usage
Primarily used in geographical contexts in Northern England.
04to leave a mark
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to leave a permanent mark on someone's skin or mind.
v. to mark with a scar, whether through physical injury or psychological trauma. Often used in the passive voice.
“The hot oil splashed his arm and scarred him for life.”
“The landscape was scarred by years of open-cast mining, leaving deep pits where forests once stood.”
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English scar, scarre, a conflation of Old French escare (“scab”) (from Late Latin eschara, from Ancient Greek ἐσχάρα (eskhára, “scab left from a burn”), and thus a doublet of eschar) and Middle English skar (“incision, cut, fissure”) (from Old Norse skarð (“notch, chink, gap”), from Proto-Germanic *skardaz (“gap, cut, fragment”)). Akin to Old Norse skor (“notch, score”), Old English sċeard (“gap, cut, notch”). More at shard. Displaced native Old English dolg, dolgswæþ, and wundswaþu (“scar”). Not related to scarify.
From Middle English scarre, skarr, skerre, sker, a borrowing from Old Norse sker (“an isolated rock in the sea; skerry”). Cognate with Icelandic sker, Norwegian skjær, Swedish skär, Danish skær, German Schäre. Doublet of skerry and scaur.
From Latin scarus (“a kind of fish”), from Ancient Greek σκάρος (skáros, “parrot wrasse, Sparisoma cretense, syn. Scarus cretensis”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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