scathing

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   marked by harshly abusive criticism

   The critic's scathing remarks about my favorite novelist made me upset.

2. 2
   adj

   Harshly or bitterly critical; vitriolic.

   For months, Dati warned she would refuse to stand aside. Now she has stunned the political class with an open letter to Fillon in Le Monde, a scathing character assassination accusing him of the "lone ambition" of a disillusioned political elite, of doing politics in a way that "never favoured women" and stopping ethnic-minority candidates from progressing at elections. She said he was committing "a sad mistake" in trying to run in Paris.

3. 3
   verb

   present participle and gerund of scathe

4. 4
   adj

   Harmful or painful; acerbic.