scarlet letter
Public disgrace mark
A scarlet letter is a mark of shame or disgrace that follows someone publicly.
The term comes from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel, in which an adulteress must wear a red "A" on her clothing.
Now used figuratively for any visible stigma: His criminal record became a scarlet letter that followed him to every job interview.
Loss of dignity
- disgraceLoss of honor
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
- dishonorLoss of respect
mortification · remorse · contrition · penitence · self-condemnation · public shaming · exposure · confession
Representational sign or device
- badgeWorn symbol of membership
- markVisible impression or sign
- brandCompany's product line name
- AHighest academic mark
sewn · crimson · cloth · breast · identity · visible · worn · punishment
Disloyalty to a partner
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
- fornicationIntercourse between unmarried persons
- extramaritalOutside the marriage bond
- illicitProhibited by law
transgression · sin · lover · paramour · illegitimate child · fallen · seduction · temptation
Banishment from a group
- brandingCreating distinctive identity
- outcastShunned, rejected person
- pariahRejected, shunned person
- markedBearing an indicator
blacklist · shunning · marginalization · alienation · isolation · discrimination · prejudice · social death
Surname from spiny shrubs
- PearlGemstone-inspired feminine name
- PuritanEnglish Protestant simplifier
- SalemCity or name
- MassachusettsNortheastern colonial state
Hester Prynne · New England · American literature · 19th century · transcendentalism · morality tale · allegory · romance
Deliberate degradation before witnesses
- pilloryPublic punishment restraint
- scaffoldTemporary elevated work structure
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- penanceSelf-mortification for wrongdoing
spectacle · display · exposure · judgment · correction · discipline · retribution · consequence
humiliation
Loss of dignity
- disgraceLoss of honor
- guiltMoral self-reproach
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
dishonor · mortification · remorse · contrition · penitence · self-condemnation · public shaming · exposure · confession · atonement
emblem
Representational sign or device
A · sewn · crimson · cloth · breast · identity · visible · worn · punishment · sin
infidelity
Disloyalty to a partner
- affairRomantic entanglement outside commitment
- fornicationIntercourse between unmarried persons
- extramaritalOutside the marriage bond
illicit · transgression · sin · lover · paramour · illegitimate child · fallen · seduction · temptation · passion
ostracism
Banishment from a group
marked · blacklist · shunning · marginalization · alienation · isolation · discrimination · prejudice · social death · excommunication
Hawthorne
Surname from spiny shrubs
Hester Prynne · Massachusetts · New England · American literature · 19th century · transcendentalism · morality tale · allegory · romance · scaffold
public humiliation
Deliberate degradation before witnesses
- pilloryPublic punishment restraint
- scaffoldTemporary elevated work structure
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
penance · spectacle · display · exposure · judgment · correction · discipline · retribution · consequence · sanction
- shaming devicespillory, stocks, ducking stool, dunce cap, fool's cap
- Color Idiomsblack sheep, blue moon, green light, red flag, white lie
- disgracedishonor, disgrace, downfall, stigma, scandal
- AllusionsAchilles heel, Pandora's box, Trojan horse, forbidden fruit, Midas touch
- HawthorneHester Prynne, Pearl, Wakefield, Zenobia, Miriam
- Literary Phrasesto be or not to be, carpe diem, et tu Brute, call me Ishmael, once upon a time
scarlet letterbadge of honor
Source of earned pride
gold star · crown of glory · laurel wreath · commendation · accolade
scarlet letterhidden shame
guilty conscience · skeleton in the closet · buried secret · plausible deniability · cover-up
scarlet letterabsolution
Formal clearing of guilt
forgiveness · pardon · clean slate · redemption · amnesty
letter, letters, lettered, scarlet, lettering, redden, redder, unlettered