1
a
: a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral conceptions or disgraces those associated with it
b
: a person whose conduct offends propriety or morality
a scandal to the profession
2
: loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety : disgrace
3
: malicious or defamatory gossip
4
: indignation, chagrin, or bewilderment brought about by a flagrant violation of morality, propriety, or religious opinion
5
a
: discredit brought upon religion by unseemly conduct in a religious person
b
: conduct that causes or encourages a lapse of faith or of religious obedience in another
scandaled; scandaling; scandals
Synonyms
Examples of scandal in a Sentence
Noun
There was a major scandal involving the mayor's ties with the Mob.
Government officials were caught in an embezzlement scandal.
Her behavior caused a scandal at school.
There was never a hint of scandal during her time in office.
The gossip magazine is filled with rumors and scandal.
The high price of gas these days is a scandal.
It's a scandal that this city doesn't have a movie theater.
Recent Examples on the Web
Will Carless, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Among the scandals, one was recently revealed in a court case that did not directly involve Seven, but instead appeared to reveal much about it.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Mayor Brigette Peterson suspended her reelection campaign in January following mounting criticism of her leadership through the Gilbert Goons scandal.
—Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
Van der Sloot previously had his Peruvian sentence extended after a drug and phone smuggling scandal.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
But dissent has been rising within the N.R.A.’s own ranks about its management and spending practices in recent years as scandals have proliferated.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The Dodgers were in the middle of one of the more bizarre sports scandals in recent memory, as Ohtani discovered that his former interpreter allegedly stole more than $16 million from him.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The three plaintiffs are expected to testify in the trial starting Monday, one in person and two remotely, along with retired Army Gen. Antonio Taguba, who led an investigation into the Abu Ghraib scandal, the Associated Press reported.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 14 Apr. 2024
Staying in 📖 Suddenly focused on baseball gambling scandals?
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 7 June 2023
Ohio Democrats meanwhile have struggled in the past to tie Republicans to scandal.
—Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 25 July 2021
Los Angeles indie-rock lifers Surf Curse went from obscurity to scandal to a major-label deal in 10 months, thanks to TikTok.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2021
Quipping about the status of a business that Volkswagen is positioning as more environmentally friendly also could irk investors, especially in light of the 2015 diesel emissions scandal the company has been trying to put behind it.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 31 Mar. 2021
Social scientists predicted the Cambridge Analytica scandal way back in 2007.
—Felix Salmon, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2018
Noun
The law was passed after the scandal surrounding the collapse of the energy company Enron, during which executives were found to have shredded documents.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Among the scandals, one was recently revealed in a court case that did not directly involve Seven, but instead appeared to reveal much about it.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
Mayor Brigette Peterson suspended her reelection campaign in January following mounting criticism of her leadership through the Gilbert Goons scandal.
—Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
Van der Sloot previously had his Peruvian sentence extended after a drug and phone smuggling scandal.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Apr. 2024
But dissent has been rising within the N.R.A.’s own ranks about its management and spending practices in recent years as scandals have proliferated.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
The Dodgers were in the middle of one of the more bizarre sports scandals in recent memory, as Ohtani discovered that his former interpreter allegedly stole more than $16 million from him.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
The three plaintiffs are expected to testify in the trial starting Monday, one in person and two remotely, along with retired Army Gen. Antonio Taguba, who led an investigation into the Abu Ghraib scandal, the Associated Press reported.
—Mallory Moench, TIME, 14 Apr. 2024
Staying in 📖 Suddenly focused on baseball gambling scandals?
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Produced by Uforia and Pitaya Entertainment, the first season of En Boca Cerrada reveals heartbreaking details about the disturbing case, reminiscent of the Jeffrey Epstein and R. Kelly scandals.
—Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 7 June 2023
Ohio Democrats meanwhile have struggled in the past to tie Republicans to scandal.
—Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 25 July 2021
Los Angeles indie-rock lifers Surf Curse went from obscurity to scandal to a major-label deal in 10 months, thanks to TikTok.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2021
Quipping about the status of a business that Volkswagen is positioning as more environmentally friendly also could irk investors, especially in light of the 2015 diesel emissions scandal the company has been trying to put behind it.
—Clare Duffy, CNN, 31 Mar. 2021
Social scientists predicted the Cambridge Analytica scandal way back in 2007.
—Felix Salmon, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scandal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scandal
Cite this Entry
“Scandal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scandal. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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