scandal

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noun scan·dal \ˈskan-d^əl\

Definition of scandal

1a : discredit brought upon religion by unseemly conduct in a religious personb : conduct that causes or encourages a lapse of faith or of religious obedience in another
2 : loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety : disgrace
3a : a circumstance or action that offends propriety or established moral conceptions or disgraces those associated with itb : a person whose conduct offends propriety or morality a scandal to the profession
4 : malicious or defamatory gossip
5 : indignation, chagrin, or bewilderment brought about by a flagrant violation of morality, propriety, or religious opinion

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Examples of scandal in a Sentence

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 of scandal from the Web

Grant’s presidency is remembered mostly now for the scandals that marred it, the fruits of the 18th president placing too much trust in friends who betrayed him for their own self-interests.

— chris stirewalt, Fox News, "Trump looks east for new foreign policy", 5 July 2017
Both have weathered their own public relation scandals.

— laura entis, Fortune, "Delta Air Lines, Comcast, and 8 Other Fortune 500 Companies We Think Treat Us Like Trash", 5 July 2017
In a major ongoing scandal, Abe is alleged to have helped a friend gain government approval for his new veterinary school.

— Washington Post, "Japanese leader’s rule seen shaken by Tokyo election loss", 3 July 2017
Volkswagen reported a 15% gain over June of 2016 when sales were depressed due to the company’s diesel engine emissions-cheating scandal.

— tom krisher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "G.M., Ford U.S. sales down, but Japanese automakers report gains", 3 July 2017
Drew took over for Dave Bliss, who resigned after the scandal, which also included revelations of payments to recruits.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Hutton: A Post-Tribune sports columnist looks back at 20", 30 June 2017
For Volkswagen, those invoices have recently been supersized, befitting the scope of the diesel cheating scandal that has engulfed the company and prompted the recall of approximately 590,000 vehicles in the United States.

— jeff sabatini, Car and Driver, "The Fix Is In: We Test the Software Update for Cheaty VW TDI Diesels", 30 June 2017
The growing scandal also led to the resignation of USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny in March.

— mark alesia, Indianapolis Star, "USA Gymnastics to reveal findings of probe into policies for handling sex abuse complaints", 27 June 2017
The pad has also popped up onscreen in such productions as Scandal, Columbo, Monster-in-Law, Mad Men, and True Blood.

— lindsay blake, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here’s Where to Find All of the L.A. Locations You Saw in GLOW", 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scandal'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of scandal

Middle English, from Late Latin scandalum stumbling block, offense, from Greek skandalon trap, stumbling block, offense; akin to Latin scandere to climb

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First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of scandal

offense, sin, vice, crime, scandal mean a transgression of law. offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code. at that school no offense went unpunished sin implies an offense against moral or religious law. the sin of blasphemy vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts. regarded gambling as a vice crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state. the crime of murder scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience. a career ruined by a sex scandal

scandal

verb scan·dal

Definition of scandal

transitive verb
1 obsolete : disgrace
2 chiefly dialectal : defame, slander

First Known Use of scandal

1592

SCANDAL Defined for English Language Learners

scandal

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noun

Definition of scandal for English Language Learners

: an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong
: talk about the shocking or immoral things that people have done or are believed to have done
: something that is shocking, upsetting, or unacceptable