Meaning & use

scandalous

adjective·Academic

Causing general public outrage by offending accepted moral or legal standards.

See it in a sentence

The senator's scandalous behavior led to calls for his immediate resignation.

Newspapers ran headlines about the scandalous affair for weeks.

A note on using this word

Scandalous can also be used lightly and humorously to describe something merely surprising or mildly improper.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “scandalous”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.