What does unscathed mean?
Word: Unscathed
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Unscathed means not harmed at all by a difficult experience.
Synonyms: unhurt
Antonyms: harmed
How do you spell unscathed?
Syllables: un - scathed
Tricky part: The k sound after the s is spelt with a c. Pupils often reach for a k and write unskathed.
Watch out for: unskathed, unsckathed
Memory tip: Picture a silk scarf coming back from the wash unscathed: the word spells its k sound just as scarf does.
Unscathed in a sentence
Example 1: The phone slipped from my hand onto the stone floor but came out unscathed.
Example 2: Our old bicycle survived the long ride over the rough road unscathed.
Example 3: Not one mango in the crate was bruised; the full load arrived unscathed.
Fun Fact
Scathe is an old word for harm that came into English from Old Norse. It is hardly used alone today, yet it lives on inside two common words.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
unsc_th_d
a) u, e
b) o, e
c) a, e
d) a, i
Show answer
c) a, e. The long vowel sound in the middle is a plain a, and the ending is the usual past form.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
unscatthed
a) t
b) n
c) h
d) s
Show answer
a) t. Scathe has one t, and that does not change here.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word unscathed as used in the sentence:
The glass jars reached Grandma's house unscathed after the long train ride.
a) intact
b) whole
c) sound
d) damaged
Show answer
d) damaged. The jars were not harmed at all, so damaged says the reverse.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. pristine 2. unscathed 3. flawles 4. intact
a) having no faults or marks at all
b) as clean and fresh as when new
c) not harmed by what has happened
d) complete, with nothing missing
Show answer
a) having no faults or marks at all. Flawless needs a double s at the end, like careless.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. After a lost match, a batter says his confidence is unscathed. What does he mean?
a) He is still waiting for the score.
b) The loss has made him give up.
c) He has no wish to play again.
d) The loss has not shaken his belief.
Show answer
d) The loss has not shaken his belief.
2. Scathing is a related word. What does it usually describe?
a) very quiet music
b) very harsh criticism
c) very bright light
d) very gentle praise
Show answer
b) very harsh criticism
