scourge

fléau

Personne ou chose qui cause durablement de grandes souffrances ou difficultés à beaucoup de gens.

En anglais simple : A person or thing that causes serious suffering or trouble for many people over time.

• War remains a terrible scourge.
• They worked to end the scourge of poverty.
• The cruel ruler was the scourge of the region.

Comment l'utiliser : the scourge of something (The region still faces the scourge of hunger.); a scourge on someone/something (The disease became a scourge on the whole community.)

Synonymes : plague, curse, menace, affliction

Contraires : blessing

Expressions courantes : scourge of poverty, a terrible scourge, fight the scourge

fouet

Fouet en cuir servant à punir des personnes ou à les forcer à avancer.

En anglais simple : A leather whip used to punish people or force them to move.

• The guard carried a scourge.
• He struck the prisoner with a leather scourge.
• The museum displays several old scourges.

Synonymes : whip, lash

Expressions courantes : leather scourge, with a scourge, wield a scourge

ravager, tourmenter

Infliger durablement de grandes souffrances ou difficultés à des personnes ou à des lieux.

En anglais simple : To cause people or places great suffering or trouble over a long time.

• War scourged the region.
• Disease had scourged the island for years.
• Repeated droughts scourge the farming communities.

Synonymes : afflict, torment, plague

Expressions courantes : scourge a nation, scourge the land, scourge a population

fouetter, flageller

Frapper une personne ou un animal avec un fouet, parfois pour le faire avancer.

En anglais simple : To hit a person or animal with a whip, sometimes to make them move.

• The guards scourged him.
• The driver scourged the horses forward.
• Prisoners were scourged for refusing orders.

Comment l'utiliser : scourge someone/something with something (The guard scourged the prisoner with a leather whip.)

Synonymes : whip, flog, lash

Expressions courantes : scourge a prisoner, scourge someone forward, scourge a horse