Synonyms of scapegoat

scapegoat

noun

ˈskāp-ˌgōt 

as in victim

a person or thing taking the blame for others

companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales

Synonyms & Similar Words

• victim
• excuse
• goat
• fall guy
• whipping boy
• mockery
• monkey
• fool
• butt
• dupe
• laughingstock
• mark

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scapegoat

Just like the Mets, the case could be made that Boston’s president of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, deserved the blame, but the skipper became the scapegoat instead. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026

In a legal filing, Crowley said Mayor Karen Bass, who was out of the country when the fires began, made the longtime firefighter a scapegoat for the catastrophe. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Fox News’s Peter Doocy asked Trump whether sending Vance to Geneva, Switzerland, to sign the memorandum of understanding on Friday gives him a scapegoat in case the negotiations fall apart. — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 17 June 2026

My working theory is that the recent surge in gas prices, along with uncertainty about how AI will change the labor market have coalesced into a doom-and-gloom mood that is exacerbated by social media, always a possible scapegoat for negative vibes in today. — Jill Schlesinger, Mercury News, 1 June 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!