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

Another scapegoat will be the secondary, which allowed over 400 passing yards and three second-half touchdowns from Saints second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. — Christian Romo, Freep.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Mbappe is often the scapegoat at Madrid, with his defensive contribution numbers towards the bottom of the rankings across Europe’s big five domestic leagues last season. — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Sara Amundson, president of the Humane World Action Fund, called wolves a scapegoat for broader challenges facing ranchers. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence in a Texas federal prison camp, had argued she was selectively prosecuted as a scapegoat, but the judge dismissed those claims as frivolous. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026

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