scandal

[ skan-dl ]

noun

1. a disgraceful or discreditable action, circumstance, etc.
2. an offense caused by a fault or misdeed.
3. damage to reputation; public disgrace.

   Synonyms: ignominy, opprobrium, disrepute, shame, dishonor, discredit

4. defamatory talk; malicious gossip.

   Synonyms: obloquy, aspersion, calumny, slander

   Antonyms: praise, honor

5. a person whose conduct brings disgrace or offense.

verb (used with object)

, scan·daled, scan·dal·ing or (especially British) scan·dalled, scan·dal·ling.

1. British Dialect. to defame (someone) by spreading scandal.
2. Obsolete. to disgrace.

scandal

/ ˈskændəl /

noun

1. a disgraceful action or event

   his negligence was a scandal

2. censure or outrage arising from an action or event
3. a person whose conduct causes reproach or disgrace
4. malicious talk, esp gossip about the private lives of other people
5. law a libellous action or statement

verb

1. to disgrace
2. to scandalize

Derived Forms

• ˈscandalously, adverb
• ˈscandalous, adjective
• ˈscandalousness, noun

Other Words From

• mini·scandal noun
• super·scandal noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scandal¹

1175–1225; from Late Latin scandalum from Late Greek skándalon “snare, cause of moral stumbling”; replacing Middle English scandle from Old French (north) escandle from Late Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of scandal¹

C16: from Late Latin scandalum stumbling block, from Greek skandalon a trap

Synonym Study

See gossip.

Example Sentences

It is believed some of the jewels in the necklace sold on Wednesday were the original ones at the centre of the "affair of the diamond necklace" scandal in the 1780s, that may have hastened Marie Antoinette's demise.

From BBC

Still, the probe mired the first half of Trump’s presidency in scandal.

From Los Angeles Times

Two years after the scandal, City Councilmember Kevin de León has lost his seat, leaving Latinos with just four of the council’s 15 seats.

From Los Angeles Times

The troubled organisation is currently the subject of a long-running inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted after faulty software made it appear money was missing from their accounts.

From BBC

Since the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s, the Justice Department has sought to separate law enforcement from politics, and keep the White House at a distance.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crime
• rumor
• wrongdoing