noun

scandal

SKAN-duhl

noun

A public event or revelation that causes outrage and damages the reputation of those involved.

"The bribery scandal forced the minister to resign."

"News of the scandal spread quickly through the office."

Damage done to someone's reputation, or the disgrace resulting from wrongdoing.

"The family never fully recovered from the scandal."

How to Use Scandal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA shocking event or revelation of wrongdoing that damages someone's or an organisation's reputation.

Common pairings

a political scandal cause a scandal a scandal erupts embroiled in scandal

scandaled past tense, scandalled past tense, scandals plural, scandals singular

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The bribery _____ forced the minister to resign.

From Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum, "stumbling block, cause of offence," from Greek skándalon, originally meaning a trap set for an enemy.

vandal sandal Randal