SCANDALOUS Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

scandalous

adjective

ˈskan-də-ləs

Definition of scandalous

as in disgusting

causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment the scandalous news that police officers had been taking bribes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in erroneous

causing or intended to cause unjust injury to a person's good name spread a scandalous rumor about a coworker that almost cost him his job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scandalous So the sordid and scandalous emails released by the Justice Department that showed Epstein connecting Tisch with numerous women passed NFL muster. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 In a cafe in Mexico City once in the mid-Fifties, Pan spurred Rivera into a debate that Pan believed to have led Rivera to change the most controversial element in one of his most scandalous works. — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 The Indiana native has led a busy, scandalous life on and off MTV’s series. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2026 That such an argument would be offered by a professed Catholic is scandalous. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scandalous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scandalous

Adjective

Their fearless leader is the relentlessly disgusting, but equally brilliant Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) who insults, cajoles, and gaslights his foot-dragging staff into feats of daring heroism.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2026
Everyone starts tasting the varied, apparently disgusting, bottles.

— Alice Burton, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of disgusting

Adjective

Rather than pulling Herta’s IndyCar results from the official scoring, the team apparently relied on IndyCar’s erroneous website.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026
According to a lawsuit, a coding error resulted in erroneous scores being generated and reported to third parties over a three-week period between March and April 2022.

— Brian Sloan,Dan Avery, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of erroneous

Adjective

But the reason for this rather ugly framing device is that the team strives to educate the masses in the art of bankrobbing at the expense of being caught.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026
Even when things got ugly under Carrick, the supporters chose to back the former midfielder, putting the blame firmly at the feet of the players and the club’s hierarchy.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of ugly

Adjective

Questions concern how the courts would assess who or what might be responsible for faulty algorithms or other flaws in system design and whether a robot was negligent or malicious when disseminating libelous content damaging individuals or organizations.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 May 2026
In recent weeks, though, her group has doubled in size, and while in the past there were only two or three posts per day, Mitchell and her new moderators now have to wade through 60-plus comments ranging from helpful to libelous.

— Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025

Definition of libelous

Adjective

Advertisement In Brazil and South America, outbreaks of a fungus that causes a disfiguring and sometimes fatal skin disease have been sickening cats, dogs, and people.

— Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 27 Oct. 2026
And, of course, leave it to Zendaya to add some sickening vintage to the WNBA Finals.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sickening

Adjective

The group ran ads about past felony bank fraud charges that Ford decried as slanderous.

— Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
Cloud launched slanderous accusations about the spectator’s personal life based on nothing more than a brief clip of him pointing a finger.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of slanderous

Adjective

And, like every other soap opera, this one appears to involve at least a dose of deception leading up to Huang’s shocking exit on Thursday.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2026
The differences with our own age are great, but the similarities are shocking.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of shocking

Adjective

The Department complies with all record retention obligations, and any suggestion otherwise is incorrect.

— CBS News, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
Voting-rights advocates and election experts questioned whether errors in the unverified data contributed to potentially incorrect inactivations, the outlet reported.

— Sam Stevenson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of incorrect

Browse Nearby Words

scandalmongers

scandalous

scandals

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Style

“Scandalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scandalous. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of scandalous

adjective

Example Sentences

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