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
There’s Cameron Diaz in 2002, wearing a sheer dress that if at the time was scandalous today is, merely, standard.
—
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The film’s scandalous premise and big international cast could be a good prestige play for a streamer.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Miller is still going to be on the next season of Summer House, according to TMZ, so her new hosting gig will not interrupt the aftermath of the scandalous relationship between Amanda Batula and West Wilson.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 11 May 2026
And in a competitive mass market, bigger often meant publishing more stories which were more arresting, more scandalous, more emotionally loaded.
—Hank Green, Time, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scandalous
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
The film’s scandalous premise and big international cast could be a good prestige play for a streamer.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 11 May 2026
Miller is still going to be on the next season of Summer House, according to TMZ, so her new hosting gig will not interrupt the aftermath of the scandalous relationship between Amanda Batula and West Wilson.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 11 May 2026
And in a competitive mass market, bigger often meant publishing more stories which were more arresting, more scandalous, more emotionally loaded.
—Hank Green, Time, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scandalous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scandalous
Adjective
-
How on Earth could this Wild team, after dominating the first period and taking a 3-0 lead with a chance to keep its season alive and force a Game 6, collapse in such an absolutely disgusting fashion?—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
Just days ago, the CDC announced that over 100 passengers and more than a dozen crew members on a different ship, the Caribbean Princess, have been infected by norovirus—a less fatal but more disgusting illness.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Some free-speech experts at the time felt Disney had a chance to win that case, which revolved around erroneous statements made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Spoofing relies on transmitting false signals that mimic authentic satellite signals to trick signal receivers into calculating erroneous positions for aircraft and other users.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
Last year, the two teams met in London in an ugly 13-11 Denver win.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
With respect to humor’s inherent subjectivity, the appallingly ugly aesthetics of the AI overwhelm any possible comedic sensibility on display.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Breuer also accused Moore of using a Jan. 26 news conference, four days after the building was evacuated, to spread falsehoods about the company, which Breuer said could be deemed libelous.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 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
Adjective
-
Andes virus, a type of hantavirus, has sparked global concern in recent weeks after causing the death of three passengers and sickening at least eight others aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship traveling from Argentina across the Atlantic.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
-
Accumulating plastic waste is overwhelming waterways and oceans, sickening marine life and threatening human health.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The group’s ads on his past felony bank fraud charges were decried by Ford as slanderous.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Keefer called these claims baseless and slanderous.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
McGregor first fought at welterweight in 2016 in a shocking loss to Diaz, then defeated Diaz later that year, again in the 170-pound division.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
But at the center of it all is Navarrette, whose fearless turn grounds the film’s shocking premise in something both heartbreaking and haunting.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, the indictment alleges the ship was using an incorrect fuel pump, which did not have redundancies.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
Customer reviews frequently praise Origin’s tracking accuracy compared to competing budgeting apps, though some users report occasional issues with incorrect transaction categorization.—
Amy DeYoung,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scandalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scandalous. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
