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

Beckham became a national scapegoat after that match and was vilified by the British fans and media. — Miami Herald, 14 July 2026

The game was a scapegoat for the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado, ground zero of America’s ongoing nightmare. — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

Prominent intellectuals, famously including novelist Emile Zola, argued that Dreyfus had been made a scapegoat by the French military. — Masha MacPherson, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

In a legal filing, Crowley said Mayor Karen Bass, who was out of the country when the fires began, made the longtime firefighter a scapegoat for the catastrophe. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!