# scandal

Pronunciation: US say "SKAN-duhl" /ˈskændəl/; UK

## Noun

1. An event or action that disgraces the people or organization involved and damages their reputation.
   - Simple: A shameful event that hurts the good name of a person or group.
   - _A corporate accounting scandal wiped billions off the firm's value overnight._
   - _The senator never recovered from the scandal that ended his career._
2. Public outrage and indignation over something seen as morally offensive or indecent.
   - Simple: Public anger and shock at something people think is very wrong.
   - _The painting provoked scandal when it was first exhibited._
   - _News of the cover-up created scandal throughout the nation._
3. Harm or damage done to one's reputation.
   - Simple: Harm done to a person's good name.
   - _The family went to great lengths to keep scandal from touching their name._
   - _He retired quietly to spare himself further scandal._
4. Defamatory talk; malicious gossip or slander.
   - Simple: Harmful gossip that spreads bad claims about a person.
   - _The drawing rooms buzzed with scandal about the new arrivals._
   - _He earned a living by selling scandal to the newspapers._
5. A word or deed lacking in moral rectitude that becomes an occasion for another person's spiritual ruin.
   - Simple: A wrong act or word that leads another person into sin.
   - _Theologians taught that a leader's hypocrisy gives scandal to the faithful._
   - _Public sin by a respected figure can be a grave scandal, drawing the weak into the same error._
6. Amateur or homemade pornography; or, informally, a commotion or fuss. *(colloquial, Philippines)*
   - Simple: Amateur adult videos made at home, or in casual speech, a noisy fuss or commotion.
   - _A cache of scandal was leaked online without anyone's consent._
   - _The toddlers made such a scandal that the whole house woke up._

## Verb

7. To defame or slander someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To spread false, harmful claims about someone.
   - _His enemies sought to scandal him before the whole court._
   - _They scandal the widow with baseless tales._
8. To scandalize or offend someone. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To shock or upset someone by doing something they think is very wrong.

## Origin

From Middle French scandale ("indignation caused by misconduct or defamatory speech"), from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum ("stumbling block, cause of offense"), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, "a trap laid for an enemy, a cause of moral stumbling"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skand- ("to jump") and cognate with Latin scandō ("to climb"). It is a doublet of slander, and the shift in meaning from "cause of stumbling" to "thing of disgrace" was possibly influenced by other similar-sounding words for shame.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/scandal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).