What does "scandal" mean?
An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
Scandal
/ˈskændəl/ noun, phrase, verb, slang
noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
- Grammar: scandal is listed as noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: outrage, abomination, abuse, asperse.
- Useful contrasts: approval, confidence, integrity.
- Usage evidence: A banking scandal is sweeping across Capitol Hill.
How to use "scandal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "scandal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "scandal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "scandal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "scandal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "scandal" is acting as noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "outrage" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "scandal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved. countable, uncountable
"Their affair was reported as a scandal by most tabloids."
- 2 Ellipsis of SCANDAL taxon (“a species or taxon which speciated due to the SCANDAL process”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 3 disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people wordnet
- 4 Damage to one's reputation. countable, uncountable
"The incident brought considerable scandal to his family."
- 5 Ellipsis of SCANDAL process (“the mechanism for speciation through cancer cells becoming independent of the originating creature, and living on”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a disgraceful event wordnet
- 7 Widespread moral outrage, indignation, as over an offence to decency. countable, uncountable
"When their behaviour was made public it caused a great scandal."
- 8 A word or deed, lacking in rectitude in some manner, which is an occasion of the spiritual ruin of another. countable, uncountable
- 9 Defamatory talk; gossip, slander. countable, uncountable
"According to village scandal, they weren't even married."
- 10 amateur or homemade pornography; (informal) commotion. Philippines, colloquial, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To defame; to slander. obsolete
"I do fawn on men and hug them hard And after scandal them."
- 2 To scandalize; to offend. obsolete
"A propensity to scandal may partly proceed from an inability to distinguish the proper objects of censure"
Phrase
- 1 Acronym of speciated by cancer development animals. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Example
"A banking scandal is sweeping across Capitol Hill."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "scandal"?
Common synonyms include: outrage, abomination, abuse, asperse, aspersion, atrocity.
How do you use "scandal" in a sentence?
A banking scandal is sweeping across Capitol Hill.
How do you pronounce "scandal"?
Pronounced /ˈskændəl/.
Etymology
From Middle French scandale (“indignation caused by misconduct or defamatory speech”), from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“that on which one trips, cause of offense”, literally “stumbling block”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “a trap laid for an enemy, a cause of moral stumbling”), from Proto-Indo-European *skand- (“to jump”). Cognate with Latin scandō (“to climb”). First attested from Old Northern French escandle, but the modern word is a reborrowing. Doublet, via Old French esclandre, of slander. Sense evolution from "cause of stumbling, that which causes one to sin, stumbling block" to "discredit to reputation, that which brings shame, thing of disgrace" is possibly due to early influence from other similar sounding words for infamy and disgrace (compare Old English scand (“ignominity, scandal, disgraceful thing”), Old High German scanda (“ignominy, disgrace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, “shame, disgrace”)). See shand, shend, shonda.