Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

scandalize

American  
[skan-dl-ahyz] / ˈskæn dlˌaɪz /
especially British, scandalise

verb (used with object)

scandalized, scandalizing
  1. to shock or horrify by something considered immoral or improper.

  2. Nautical. to spill the wind from or reduce the exposed area of (a sail) in an unusual manner.


scandalize British  
/ ˈskændəˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. (tr) to shock, as by improper behaviour

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • scandalization noun
  • scandalizer noun
  • unscandalized adjective

Etymology

Origin of scandalize

1480–90; < Late Latin scandalizāre < Late Greek skandalízein. See scandal, -ize

Vocabulary lists containing scandalize

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.

Now 64, he was initially passed off as her brother so as not to crack her “virginal feel and glow,” or to scandalize society, Cardinale’s daughter, Claudia Squitieri said.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2023

Here’s a way to scandalize your guests at your holiday party: Serve them boxed wine.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2021

Her final chapter titled “Wild Child” is a panorama of bad deeds, as if to scandalize her children while also freeing them from fear of failure or harsh judgment.

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2019

Such a procedure should not scandalize anyone in our time.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 7, 2019

I think Jackson got it to scandalize me, since the red velvet cover was decidedly lurid, but it ended up being a very good story.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland