Definitions

scandal

[skan-dl] / ˈskæn dl /

NOUN

public embarrassment

Synonyms

STRONGEST

crime rumor wrongdoing

STRONG

aspersion calumny defamation depreciation detraction discredit disgrace dishonor disparagement disrepute dynamite gossip hearsay ignominy infamy mud obloquy opprobrium reproach scorcher shame sin slander tale talk turpitude

WEAK

backbiting backstabbing belittlement dirty linen eavesdropping idle rumor skeleton in closet

Antonyms

STRONGEST

good deed

STRONG

approval commendation compliment esteem exaltation flattery goodness honor morality praise respect

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Appeared in the May 16, 2026, print edition as 'JPMorgan Scandal Was Already Messy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Appeared in the May 12, 2026, print edition as 'JPMorgan Learns Hard Way Art of Payoff to Avert Scandal'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Scandal once meant something: a lie exposed, a private matter made public, a career ended by dawn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

She added that they were "delighted" to welcome his grandson - who is the author of a new book, After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal - to receive the library card on his behalf.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

The October 28, 1872, edition of Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly featured an article with the title “The Beecher-Tilton Scandal Case, the Detailed Statement of the Whole Matter.”

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Vocabulary lists containing scandal

"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature

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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 11–September 17, 2021

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Simply Scandalous!

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