scandalous
gb/skˈændələs/ us/skˈændələs/
C1
English
~ 9400
Senses
0 senses
adjective
C1
property
1
morally shocking and disgraceful
Very wrong or shameful in a moral way, so that many people feel shocked or angry about it.
Usage pattern:
[something] is scandalous; scandalous [behavior/event/relationship]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *scandalous* for anything surprising, including positive surprises (e.g., a 'scandalous gift'). In modern English, *scandalous* is strongly negative and usually connected to moral or social shame. Learners may also confuse *scandalous* (adjective) with *scandalized* (feeling shocked) and *scandal* (the noun).
Synonyms
disgraceful (Focuses on bringing shame or loss of respect, slightly more common in everyday speech.)
|
shocking (Broader and less tied to moral ideas; can be used for anything surprising, not only moral issues.)
|
outrageous (Stresses that something makes people very angry or upset; a bit more emotional and informal.)
Antonyms
respectable (Suggests behavior that society sees as proper and morally acceptable.)
|
decent (Implies behavior that follows basic moral and social rules, without causing shame.)
Collocations
scandalous behavior
|scandalous conduct
|scandalous affair
|scandalous allegations
|scandalous relationship
|scandalous headlines
Themes
society
|ethics
|media
|core_vocabulary
|law
Examples
- The minister resigned after reports of his scandalous affair with a staff member.
- Many people felt the celebrity’s scandalous behavior set a terrible example for young fans.
- The magazine published a series of scandalous allegations about the company’s executives.
- Her parents were horrified by the scandalous relationship and refused to speak to her boyfriend.
- The judge called the lawyer’s attempts to hide evidence absolutely scandalous.
Learner examples
- The politician lost his job because of his scandalous affair.
- The singer’s scandalous behavior was on the front page of every newspaper.
- People were shocked by the actor’s scandalous relationship with a much younger fan.
- The TV show talked about the company’s scandalous actions.
- Many fans stopped supporting him after the scandalous story came out.
adjective
C1
property
2
extremely bad and unacceptable
Very bad or wrong in a way that makes people angry and feel it should not be allowed.
Usage pattern:
scandalous [prices/situation/conditions]; [something] is scandalous
Common mistake:
Learners may limit *scandalous* only to sexual or personal behavior. In this sense, it is often used for prices, conditions, neglect, or failures that are extremely unfair or unacceptable. They may also confuse it with *scandalized*, which describes people’s feelings rather than the bad situation itself.
Synonyms
outrageous (Very close in meaning; often used for unfair prices or situations that seem unbelievable.)
|
appalling (Stresses that something is very bad and shocking, but does not always imply public protest.)
|
disgraceful (Focuses a bit more on shame and loss of respect than on how extreme the situation is.)
Antonyms
acceptable (Indicates that something is good enough or not bad enough to cause protest.)
|
reasonable (Suggests that something (for example, a price or demand) is fair and not too high or extreme.)
Collocations
scandalous prices
|scandalous waste
|scandalous conditions
|scandalous neglect
|scandalous inequality
|scandalous failure
Themes
society
|politics
|economics
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Residents complained about the scandalous state of the public housing blocks.
- The charity called the government’s slow response to the crisis absolutely scandalous.
- Many workers live in scandalous conditions, with no clean water or proper toilets.
- Critics described the airline’s scandalous baggage fees as a hidden tax on travelers.
- The report highlighted the scandalous inequality between executive pay and average salaries.
Learner examples
- Many people think the rent in this city is scandalous.
- The workers said their low pay was scandalous and unfair.
- It is scandalous that some children still have no clean water.
- They talked on TV about the scandalous waste of public money.
- The delay was scandalous because people needed help quickly.
Grammar
Dictionary form
scandalous
IPA
GB/skˈændələs/
US/skˈændələs/
Syllables & stress
scan - dal - ous (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (scan)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: scandalous
Word family
Core family
scandal
noun B2
scandalously
adverb
Related words
scandalize
verb
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.