Definition

1. Noun:
   • A disgraceful or shocking event: An action or situation that is considered morally or legally wrong and causes public outrage or damage to reputation.
   • Malicious gossip or rumor: Talk or reports about the private lives of others that are damaging to their reputation and considered disgraceful.

Examples of Usage

• As a disgraceful event:
  • The financial scandal led to the resignation of several company directors.
  • The revelation of the corruption scandal shocked the nation.
• As disgraceful gossip:
  • The tabloids are full of scandal about the celebrity's personal life.
  • She ignored the malicious scandal being spread by her rivals.

Advanced Usage

• "To cause/create a scandal": To do something that results in public outrage or disgrace.
  • His embezzlement of funds caused a major scandal in the charity sector.
• "A scandal breaks": Used when a disgraceful event or information becomes publicly known.
  • The scandal broke after an investigative journalist published her findings.
• "A hint/whiff of scandal": A suggestion or small amount of disgraceful information.
  • The politician resigned at the first hint of scandal.

Variants and Related Words

• Scandalous (adj): Causing public outrage or shock; disgraceful.
  • The scandalous behavior of the official was widely condemned.
• Scandalize (verb): To shock or horrify someone by acting in a morally unacceptable way.
  • His crude comments scandalized the audience.
• Scandal-mongering (noun): The activity of spreading scandalous gossip.
  • The newspaper was accused of scandal-mongering.

Synonyms

• Disgrace: Loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonorable action.
• Outrage: An extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation.
• Gossip: Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as true.

Related Phrases

• "A storm of scandal": A period of intense public criticism and outrage.
  • The minister's actions provoked a storm of scandal.
• "To be at the center of a scandal": To be the main person involved in a disgraceful event.
  • The CEO found himself at the center of the accounting scandal.

Idioms

• "A scandal sheet": A newspaper or magazine that specializes in printing sensational and often scandalous stories.
  • Don't believe everything you read in those scandal sheets.
• "To weather a scandal": To survive a period of public disgrace or outrage without being completely ruined.
  • The company managed to weather the scandal, but its reputation was tarnished.

Noun

1. a disgraceful event
2. disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people