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
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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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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 among the people and events depicted in FX’s “Clipped: The Scandalous Story of L.A.’s Other Basketball Team.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024
Scandalous in its day, it’s considered a major work of French literature and has inspired many modern poets.
From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2024
Mr Wallis, who was cleared of phone hacking, recently criticised those bringing cases against newspapers in the BBC documentary Scandalous: Phone Hacking On Trial.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2023
In November 2017, Tripp gave one of her final interviews to Fox Nation as part of their "Scandalous" docu-series on Bill and Hillary Clinton.
From Fox News • Apr. 8, 2020
Scandalous matter is not necessary to make a libel.
From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Bolles, Albert Sidney
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.
