scandal

American  

[skan-dl] / ˈskæn dl /

noun

• scandals
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

scandaled, scandaling, scandalled, scandalling

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

2. Obsolete. to disgrace.

scandal British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to disgrace

2. to scandalize

Synonym Usage

See gossip.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• miniscandal
  noun
• scandalousness
  noun
• superscandal
  noun
• scandalous
  adjective
• scandalously
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scandals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of scandal

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

Explanation

Scandal is disgraceful events or nasty gossip about people's private lives, like the scandal that erupted when you were seen at the mall with your best friend's girlfriend. Just because there's a scandal, it doesn't mean it's always true — being seen with your friend's girl? What the gossips didn't know it that you were buying his birthday present. Some scandals, though, involve public figures who have been found guilty. For example, if a politician is found guilty of taking bribes, that's a scandal that will rock your town, causing outrage not to mention the end of that politician's career.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scandal scandals

Only six years ago, after all, Meta was paying a record $5 billion fine to the Federal Trade Commission for user-privacy breaches in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

I had no more bandwidth for another scandal.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

In Bolivia, the Cerimedo scandal has taken on the character of a Latin American telenovela.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

In the final months of Harald's life, Norway's royal family faced personal challenges and scandal.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“I don’t want a scandal any more than you do.”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

She will also expose the number of recommendations made by public inquiries into more than 30 previous NHS scandals, which have not been followed.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Kasek became Narbonne’s principal in 2025 with the message from the Los Angeles Unified School District to end the football scandals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

But his premiership was marred by his own corruption scandals, and no one sees him as a solution.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

On Saturday, after weeks of scandals and headaches, that looked like money well spent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Opposing them were the Half-Breeds, who considered Grant a losing candidate because many voters had become disgusted by the scandals and corruption during his time in office.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• crime
• rumor
• wrongdoing