scar
gb/skˈɑɹ/ us/skˈɑɹ/
A2
English
~ 10000
heg, heget hagy, lelki seb, traumatizál, sebhely
NOUN
A2
1
heg
B1
Usage pattern:
a/an [adjective] scar on [body part]
The operation left a long scar down his chest.
A műtét hosszú heget hagyott végig a mellkasán.
She has a small scar above her eyebrow from when she fell as a child.
Van egy kis heg a szemöldöke fölött, ami onnan van, hogy gyerekkorában elesett.
The burn healed quickly, but it still left a dark scar on his arm.
You can barely see the scar now that it has faded.
He was embarrassed about the scar on his face.
Learner examples
I have a scar on my knee from a bike accident.
Van egy heg a térdemen egy biciklibalesetből.
The cut will heal, but it might leave a scar.
A vágás begyógyul, de lehet, hogy heget hagy.
She touched the scar on her hand.
His old scar hurts when it is cold.
The doctor said the scar should get lighter over time.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'scar' with 'wound'. A 'wound' is the fresh injury, while a 'scar' is the mark that remains after the wound has healed.
Meaning
permanent mark on skin
Collocations
deep scar
|faded scar
|ugly scar
|facial scar
|leave a scar
|scar tissue
Synonyms
mark (A very general word; does not always suggest an injury.)
|
blemish (Often used for small or cosmetic marks, especially on the face.)
Antonyms
unmarked (Describes skin without any scars or visible marks.)
Themes
health
|body
|daily life
Definition
A mark that stays on your skin after a cut, burn, or other injury has healed.
A permanent mark left on the skin or other body tissue after a cut, burn, or other injury has healed.
VERB
B1
2
heget hagy
B1
Usage pattern:
[injury/event] scars [someone/something]
The accident scarred his left cheek.
A baleset heget hagyott a bal arcán.
The surgery is unlikely to scar the skin if you follow the care instructions.
A műtét valószínűleg nem hagy heget a bőrön, ha betartja a sebkezelési utasításokat.
The dog bite scarred her leg in several places.
The burns permanently scarred his back.
Improper treatment can scar the tissue and limit movement.
Learner examples
The cut on his face will not scar if he takes care of it.
Az arcán lévő vágás nem fog heget hagyni, ha gondosan kezeli.
The fire scarred his arm.
A tűz heget hagyott a karján.
The glass cut her hand and scarred it.
Hot oil can scar your skin.
The doctor said the burn should not scar.
Common mistake:
Learners may say 'scarred a scar' instead of 'left a scar'. Use 'The accident scarred his face' or 'The accident left a scar on his face', not 'scarred a scar'.
Meaning
to leave a scar on skin
Collocations
badly scar
|permanently scar
|scar the skin
|scar his face
|scar the tissue
Synonyms
mark (More general; may describe temporary or permanent marks, not only from injury.)
|
disfigure (Stronger and more formal; suggests serious and unattractive damage to appearance.)
Antonyms
heal (When skin heals well, it does not get scarred.)
Themes
health
|body
Definition
To make a mark that stays on skin after hurting it.
To leave a permanent mark on the skin or other body tissue after causing an injury.
NOUN
B2
3
lelki seb
B2
Usage pattern:
[emotional] scar from [event/experience]
The divorce left deep emotional scars on their children.
A válás mély lelki sebeket hagyott a gyerekeikben.
War can leave psychological scars that last a lifetime.
A háború olyan lelki sebeket hagyhat, amelyek egy életen át megmaradnak.
He still carries the scars of being bullied at school.
The scandal left a scar on the nation’s sense of trust.
Her early failures left a scar on her confidence.
Learner examples
The war left emotional scars on many people.
A háború sok emberben hagyott lelki sebeket.
Being hit as a child left a scar on his mind.
Az, hogy gyerekkorában bántalmazták, sebet hagyott a lelkében.
The accident left a scar on her feelings.
He still has scars from his hard childhood.
The breakup left a deep scar in her heart.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'scar' only for the body and forget it is common for emotional damage. When you talk about feelings or the mind, say 'emotional scars', 'psychological scars', or 'scars on his mind/heart'.
Meaning
lasting emotional or mental hurt
Collocations
emotional scars
|psychological scars
|deep scars
|old scars
|carry scars
|leave scars
Synonyms
trauma (Often stronger and more clinical; focuses on serious psychological harm.)
|
wound (Figurative; suggests pain that still feels fresh rather than only long-term effect.)
Antonyms
healing (Refers to emotional recovery, the opposite of being marked by lasting hurt.)
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|life events
|health
Definition
A strong bad feeling that stays for a long time because of a very sad or scary event.
A lasting emotional or mental effect left by a painful, shocking, or damaging experience.
VERB
B2
4
traumatizál
C1
Usage pattern:
[event/experience] scars [someone]
The accident scarred him for life.
A baleset egy életre traumatizálta.
Growing up in a violent home scarred her deeply.
Az, hogy erőszakos otthonban nőtt fel, mélyen traumatizálta.
The experience of war has scarred many of the soldiers.
Being rejected in front of the whole class scarred his confidence.
The abuse he suffered as a child still scars him today.
Learner examples
The fire scared and scarred the children.
A tűz megijesztette és traumatizálta a gyerekeket.
The war scarred many people.
A háború sok embert traumatizált.
Her father’s anger scarred her for life.
The teacher’s cruel words scarred the boy.
The accident on the road scarred him, and now he hates driving.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'scar' with 'scare'. 'Scar' means to cause lasting damage, often emotional; 'scare' means to make someone feel afraid, usually for a short time.
Meaning
to hurt someone emotionally for long
Collocations
scar someone for life
|emotionally scarred
|scarred by abuse
|scarred by war
|deeply scarred
Synonyms
traumatize (More formal and clinical; often used in medical or psychological contexts.)
|
damage (More general; can describe many types of harm, not only emotional.)
Antonyms
heal (Describes the process of recovering from such emotional harm.)
Themes
emotions
|psychology
|life events
|health
Definition
To hurt someone’s mind or feelings in a way that stays for a very long time.
To cause someone to have lasting emotional or mental harm because of a painful, shocking, or damaging experience.
NOUN
B2
5
sebhely
B2
Usage pattern:
a [scar] on [the landscape / the city / the building / something]
Many people think the new shopping mall is a scar on the landscape.
Sokan úgy gondolják, hogy az új bevásárlóközpont csúf sebhely a tájon.
The abandoned factory is an ugly scar in the center of town.
Az elhagyatott gyár csúf sebhely a város központjában.
The mine left a huge scar across the hillside.
War has left physical scars on the city’s old buildings.
The oil spill left a dark scar along the coast.
Learner examples
The big parking lot is a scar on the city.
A nagy parkoló csúf sebhely a városban.
The fire left a black scar on the forest.
A tűz fekete sebhelyet hagyott az erdőben.
That old broken bridge is a scar on the river.
The mine made a long scar in the hills.
The empty building is a scar in our town.
Meaning
ugly mark on landscape or object
Collocations
a scar on the landscape
|ugly scar
|industrial scar
|urban scar
|leave a scar on the countryside
Synonyms
eyesore (Focuses on being very unpleasant to look at; does not always suggest past damage.)
|
blot (Often used in phrases like 'a blot on the landscape'; similar figurative idea.)
Antonyms
beauty (Describes something visually pleasing, the opposite of an ugly mark or damage.)
Themes
environment
|cities
|appearance
|nature
|daily_life
Definition
An ugly mark or damaged area on a place or thing that stays for a long time.
An ugly or noticeable mark or area of damage on a place, object, or the natural environment, especially one that remains for a long time.
Grammar
Dictionary form
scar
IPA
GB/skˈɑɹ/
US/skˈɑɹ/
Syllables & stress
scar (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (scar)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: scar
- Plural: scars
Verb
- Base: scar
- 3rd Person Singular: scars
- Present Participle: scarring
- Past: scarred
Word family
Forms
scars
noun
scarring
verb
scarred
verb
Highlights
- Irregular present participle: scarring Verb
- Irregular past: scarred Verb
Expressions
be scarred for life
1/bˈi skˈɑɹd fɚ lˈaɪf/
fixed phrase
be permanently affected by something
To be hurt in body or mind in a way that will never completely go away.
Examples
- He is scarred for life after the house fire.
- She says she is scarred for life by what happened to her as a child.
emotional scars
1/ɪmˈoʊʃənəl skˈɑɹz/
fixed phrase
long-lasting emotional pain
Strong bad feelings that stay for a long time because of something painful that happened before.
Examples
- The war left emotional scars on the whole community.
- Therapy helped her deal with her emotional scars.
scar someone for life
1/skˈɑɹ sˈʌmwˌʌn fɚ lˈaɪf/
fixed phrase
cause permanent damage to someone
To hurt someone so badly, in body or mind, that the effect stays for their whole life.
Examples
- The accident scarred him for life, and he never drove again.
- Being bullied at school scarred her for life.
scar tissue
1/skˈɑɹ tˈɪʃu/
fixed phrase
fibrous tissue formed after injury
The thick skin or body tissue that grows when a bad cut or injury heals.
Examples
- There is a lot of scar tissue around his old knee injury.
- The doctor said the pain is caused by scar tissue pressing on a nerve.