Scatheless

adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Without scathe or harm; without mischief, injury, or damage; unharmed.

    "He felt like a man who has just come scatheless through some horrible crisis, and once more knows the sweet sensation of safety."

Example

More examples

""As they, returning, sport with joyous cry, / and flap their wings and circle in the sky, / e'en so thy vessels and each late-lost crew / safe now and scatheless in the harbour lie, / or, crowding canvas, hold the port in view.""

Etymology

From Middle English scatheles, skathelæs (“scathless”), from Old English *sceaþlēas; equivalent to scathe + -less, or scath + -less. Cognate with Scots skaithless (“free of financial loss, penalty or liability”), Old Frisian skadlos, schadlos (“scatheless”), Dutch schadeloos (“harmless”), Middle Low German schadelōs, Middle High German schadelōs, Danish skadesløs (“harmless”), Swedish skadeslös (“harmless”), Icelandic skaðlaus (“harmless”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.