1
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
2
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
The audience seemed to agree, welcoming the over-the-top action sequences, Pemberton’s insights about the soundtrack – and especially the news about that scandalous Maron-Lyonne banter – with glee.
—
Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 June 2025
The politically scandalous Dreyfus affair took place around the turn of the 19th century in France, with Dreyfus banished to Devil’s Island after being found guilty of treason, accused of spreading military secrets to Germany.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
Tennis prodigy Scottie is in her Reputation era and returning to the tennis tour after a scandalous two-year suspension by playing with her father’s rival, Nico in Wimbledon’s mixed doubles tournament.
—Katie Chandler, People.com, 10 June 2025
Musk’s critics will of course prefer some more scandalous explanation, but there’s no evidence Musk’s version of events is inaccurate.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scandalous
Marta Balaga, Variety, 11 June 2025
The politically scandalous Dreyfus affair took place around the turn of the 19th century in France, with Dreyfus banished to Devil’s Island after being found guilty of treason, accused of spreading military secrets to Germany.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
Tennis prodigy Scottie is in her Reputation era and returning to the tennis tour after a scandalous two-year suspension by playing with her father’s rival, Nico in Wimbledon’s mixed doubles tournament.
—Katie Chandler, People.com, 10 June 2025
Musk’s critics will of course prefer some more scandalous explanation, but there’s no evidence Musk’s version of events is inaccurate.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scandalous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scandalous
Adjective
-
Republicans seem to try to outdo each other to see who can be the most hateful and disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 June 2025
-
First came the disgusting pictures of waters so fouled that they were often compared to rotting guacamole.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Kavanaugh stressed that the Court needs to remain active in taking cases and issuing stays in order to avoid letting erroneous injunctions remain in place for years on end.—
The Editors,
National Review,
27 June 2025
-
Facing mounting pressure and a Supreme Court order, the Trump administration returned him this month to face the smuggling charges, which Abrego Garcia’s attorneys characterized as an attempt to justify his erroneous deportation.—
Ben Finley,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
The pair hit an ugly double-spinebuster on the Arabic announce table.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
The portal that allows the players to go from school to school is also sickening.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
9 June 2025
-
The Queens Botanical Garden’s annual Pride event will feature DJ music, after-hours access to the garden and sickening drag performances by Nani Tsunami and Janae SaisQuoi.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
In Britain, Musk has called for the release of Tommy Robinson, a far-right extremist who was jailed for 18 months in October for repeating a libelous claim about a Syrian refugee schoolboy attacking girls.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA TODAY,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
-
The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Macroeconomic Vulnerability Broadcom’s stock has exhibited lower resilience during unfavorable market conditions compared to the overall market.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
The deal allegedly promised Netanyahu positive coverage in Mozes’ newspaper Yediot Ahronoth while the Israeli Prime Minister would consider legislation unfavorable to rival newspaper Israel Hayom.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2025
-
If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scandalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scandalous. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share