scandalous
Americanadjective
-
disgraceful; shameful or shocking; improper.
scandalous behavior in public.
-
defamatory or libelous, as a speech or writing.
-
attracted to or preoccupied with scandal, as a person.
a scandalous, vicious gossip.
Other Word Forms
- nonscandalous adjective
- nonscandalously adverb
- scandalously adverb
- scandalousness noun
- superscandalous adjective
- superscandalously adverb
- unscandalous adjective
- unscandalously adverb
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
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
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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.
"They're trying to divert attention away from the scandalous state of public affairs," Noemi Kiss, a 28-year-old communications manager, told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
Based on the 2020 novel “Box Hill,” “Pillion” is often scandalous, but it also offers classic rom-com warm and fuzzy feelings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
Halfway through “Melania’s” 104-minute running time, it occurred to me that it would feel scandalous if Ratner so much as taped her doing something as human and unguarded as eating a bite of food.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
Taeko cannot wed before her older sister does; however, her scandalous conduct makes it harder for Yukiko to find a husband.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
This 1815 lithograph depicts the scandalous adultery trial of the Reverend Henry Ward Beecher.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Definitions 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.
