scandal
- noun
- /ˈskændl/
- Literature
- The politician faced a major scandal after it was revealed that he had lied about his finances.
- gossip and scandal
- created a scandal
- a public scandal
This is one month before George Floyd was killed and before my Twitter scandal.
- This is one month before George Floyd was killed and before my Twitter scandal.
- I found that out to do with our sensation, our love for scandal, why it is that we love scandal so much?
- Like a lot of my biggest scandals are just me, you dumbass.
Examples
-
Among the stories that sell best are ones focusing on scandal and conflict.
Academic text (2000) -
I sent you in there to prevent a scandal, not start one.
Fiction book (1999) -
Quite the scandal, so I'm told.
-
We do not often speak of it, but it continues to be a scandal that troubles us.
Fiction book (1996) -
Kay felt that divorce was impossible: it would cause scandal and harm the children.
Academic text (1996) -
The average person is likely to be drawn in with the promise of scandal and intrigue.
Academic text (1997) -
There is no scandal, no corruption, no organised crime in the tomb builders' village.
-
The penny press of the mid-1800s covered crime and scandal to increase readership.
Academic text (2000) -
Only events such as major public scandals lead to long-term changes in evaluations.
Academic text (1995) -
The recent celebrity scandal shocked the entire nation and led to widespread criticism.
Synonyms
Informal conversation about other people that may not be true
Secret information that harms someone's reputation
Talking about other people's personal lives in a casual way
The most recent private news or rumors about people
Rumours that try to hurt someone's reputation by spreading private facts
Spreading harmful gossip to hurt people or cause drama
Spreading private stories about others to harm or entertain people
Antonyms
Compounds
A 1970s US political event where leaders broke the law and the president resigned
A large United States political corruption case in the early 1920s where government officials secretly leased oil land to companies
- Literature
A public event where a famous person does something shocking that many people talk about
- Australian
Public controversy in Australia about a computer system that wrongly said people owed welfare money
How Scandalous
- Literature
- Literature
- US
- Informal
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word scandal comes from the old Greek word skandalon, which meant 'trap' or 'stumbling block'. So a scandal often means shameful gossip or secret news that makes someone 'stumble' in public and lose respect.