Scandalize

//ˈskændəlaɪz// verb

verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To cause great offense to (someone). transitive

    "Woe to thee who art often wandering abroad, and spendest thy time unprofitably, and scandalizest others."

  2. 2
    To reduce the area and efficiency of a sail by expedient means (e.g. slacking the peak and tricing up the tack) without properly reefing, thus slowing boat speed.

    "The mainsail was "scandalised" - a nautical mode of describing a sail reefed at both ends[.]"

  3. 3
    strike with disgust or revulsion wordnet
  4. 4
    To reproach. archaic, transitive
  5. 5
    To disgrace. archaic, transitive
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To libel. archaic, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
shockabuseaffrontappalappallasperse

Example

More examples

"Woe to thee who art often wandering abroad, and spendest thy time unprofitably, and scandalizest others."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Latin scandalizō, from Ancient Greek σκανδαλίζω (skandalízō). By surface analysis, scandal + -ize.

Etymology 2

From scantle.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.