scandalous

adjective

scan·​dal·​ous ˈskan-də-ləs How to pronounce scandalous (audio)
1
: libelous, defamatory
scandalous allegations
2
: offensive to propriety or morality : shocking
scandalous behavior
scandalously adverb
scandalousness noun

Examples of scandalous in a Sentence

Sex was a scandalous subject back then. The magazine published scandalous pictures of the movie star. The high price of gas these days is scandalous. She was spreading scandalous rumors about him.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
What’s scandalous is that nobody can really know for sure whether that’s the case. Roger Valdez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 Comics also exposed a scandalous side to American society with scenes of free love, secret identities, and gender-play. Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024 The author, who studied law at the University of Chile, has also written the genre-bending book When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold, which examines the cases of four Chilean women who became notorious for their roles in scandalous murders in the 20th century. Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2024 Jonathan died saving Catherine’s 4-year-old son from drowning, and his parents (Kevin Kline and Lesley Manville) have sought revenge by writing a scandalous novel inspired by the events. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scandalous 

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scandalous was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near scandalous

Cite this Entry

“Scandalous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scandalous. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

scandalous

adjective
scan·​dal·​ous ˈskan-d(ə-)ləs How to pronounce scandalous (audio)
1
: harmful to one's reputation : defamatory
denied the truth of the scandalous rumors
2
: shocking
scandalous behavior
scandalously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on scandalous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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