scandalous
Americanadjective
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disgraceful; shameful or shocking; improper.
scandalous behavior in public.
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defamatory or libelous, as a speech or writing.
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attracted to or preoccupied with scandal, as a person.
a scandalous, vicious gossip.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scandalous
From the Medieval Latin word scandalōsus, dating back to 1585–95. See scandal, -ous
Explanation
Scandalous describes something that's shocking, and maybe a little embarrassing or even offensive. Your great-grandfather might be a scandalous character in your family history if he was married seven times, each time to younger and younger wives. The adjective scandalous can refer to something morally offensive, or even illegal, although it's used often simply to mean "shocking". It describes something that has potential to cause a scandal, which comes from the Greek skandalon, "a trap laid for an enemy." This idea of a trap or a snare is a great metaphor; you can stumble into scandal as if it's just waiting for you to make a misstep, and if you do the results will be scandalous.
Vocabulary lists containing scandalous
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When I heard about the death of Jim Bakker, the scandalous televangelist who fleeced his flock in the 1980s, I recalled going “undercover” as a college newspaper reporter to visit Bakker’s theme park, Heritage USA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The hearing had not previously been made public, and RSF advocacy manager Aleksandra Bielakowska called the development "scandalous".
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Seeking an order for heavier indemnity costs to be made against the authority, the barrister accused some of its representatives of a "scandalous abdication of responsibilities".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Moore said she also felt the scandalous essay “perpetuates this silly trope that women can’t be supportive of one another” and that women, specifically mothers, are “inherently petty” and committed to “one-up each other.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
To the public, the scandalous spirit rapper Maggie Fox had no business in the heroic story of Dr. Kane of the Arctic.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
