battle-scarred
Marked by combat
Battle-scarred describes someone or something bearing visible damage from combat or conflict.
A battle-scarred veteran carries physical wounds from warfare; a battle-scarred landscape shows the craters and destruction of fighting.
The term extends to anything that has endured prolonged hardship or struggle: a battle-scarred relationship, the battle-scarred walls of the old fortress.
The implication is usually one of survival and resilience—what remains has been tested and proven durable, even if worse for wear.
Eroded by exposure
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- dentedHaving a surface depression
- pockmarkedScarred with small holes
- gashedCut deeply open
cracked · fractured · damaged · marred · disfigured · gouged · pitted · nicked
Flavored or battle-tested
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
- war-wearyExhausted by prolonged conflict
- decoratedMade more visually appealing
- grizzledStreaked with gray
hardened · soldier · warrior · combatant · campaigner · survivor · service · deployment
Emotionally damaged by experience
- hardenedMade tough or unfeeling
- hauntedOccupied by ghosts
- jadedDulled by overindulgence
- guardedWary and restrained
wary · calloused · world-weary · cynical · embittered · wounded · shell-shocked · grief-stricken
Damaged by outdoor exposure
- leatheryResembling animal hide
- grizzledStreaked with gray
- craggyRough with rocky projections
- linedMarked with parallel marks
rough · hardened · gnarled · furrowed · coarse · hewn · stoic · windswept
One still alive after
- enduringPersisting through time
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
- undauntedCourageously persistent despite difficulty
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
steadfast · indomitable · persevering · tough · unbroken · stalwart · fortified · tempered
weathered
Eroded by exposure
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- dentedHaving a surface depression
- pockmarkedScarred with small holes
gashed · cracked · fractured · damaged · marred · disfigured · gouged · pitted · nicked · chipped
seasoned
Flavored or battle-tested
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
- war-wearyExhausted by prolonged conflict
- decoratedMade more visually appealing
grizzled · hardened · soldier · warrior · combatant · campaigner · survivor · service · deployment · frontline
traumatized
Emotionally damaged by experience
guarded · wary · calloused · world-weary · cynical · embittered · wounded · shell-shocked · grief-stricken · numb
weatherbeaten
Damaged by outdoor exposure
lined · rough · hardened · gnarled · furrowed · coarse · hewn · stoic · windswept · calloused
survivor
One still alive after
- enduringPersisting through time
- tenaciousStubbornly determined to continue
- undauntedCourageously persistent despite difficulty
unyielding · steadfast · indomitable · persevering · tough · unbroken · stalwart · fortified · tempered · tested
battle-scarredpristine
Pure and untouched
untouched · unblemished · unmarked · flawless · intact
battle, scar, combat, battles, battlefield, scarred, embattled, battalion, battleship