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

No one from the department has reached out to check on him since the scandal broke; he suspects it’s because people are worried about getting entangled in his criminal or civil cases.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

"Both are members of Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors and, as with all those impacted by this scandal, we stand alongside them with love and empathy."

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Yet she presents leadership’s pursuit of “some form of settlement or resolution” in Brown’s case in particular as a scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Dillon said the "deeply concerning" Swans scandal had again thrust into focus "our responsibilities as a sport".

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Papa would accept any humiliation or pain or risk any scandal to get some rice and bacon grease.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

After the deadly crashes, Boeing negotiated a “deferred prosecution agreement” with the Justice Department, which meant that criminal fraud charges would be dropped if the company avoided more scandals and accidents for three years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

But the author’s agent subsequently pulled the book amid concerns about AI use, making it the latest in a string of such publishing-industry scandals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Flavio scored 43 percent despite being battered by a series of scandals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

With resources limited, a situation not helped by the widely reported corruption scandals within several international federations in Cameroon, attending international competitions was extremely challenging.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The penny papers combined traditional political and business news with sensational stories and scandals featuring the nation’s entertainers, explorers, and artists.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• crime
• rumor
• wrongdoing