scandal
scandal — noun
1. an event in which a person or organization behaves in ways the public finds shoc
an event in which a person or organization behaves in ways the public finds shocking and unacceptable because those actions violate moral or legal standards.
The mayor resigned after a scandal involving government funds.
collocation: scandal involving [topic]
A financial scandal at the bank caused many local families to lose their savings.
collocation: financial scandal
Noor was shocked when the corruption scandal in the education department was made public.
The carmaker tried to cover up the emissions scandal by deleting internal emails.
A political scandal erupted when secret payments to the senator were revealed.
- outrage
focuses on the public anger rather than the event itself; stronger emotional charge
- disgrace
broader term for loss of respect; does not always involve public exposure
- controversy
involves strong disagreement but not necessarily wrongdoing or illegality
文法句型
scandal + about/involving/over
be involved in a scandal
scandal breaks/erupts
用法筆記
Often paired with a modifier that names the type of wrongdoing: financial, political, corruption, or sex scandal. This sense is usually countable — you refer to 'a scandal' or 'scandals.'
常見錯誤
2. stories that people tell or read about someone's shameful or illegal behavior, e
stories that people tell or read about someone's shameful or illegal behavior, especially personal details that could hurt the person's reputation.
The tabloid magazine is full of scandal about celebrities and their private lives.
collocation: full of scandal about
Matthew refused to spread scandal about his former colleagues after leaving the office.
collocation: spread scandal about
A teacher's secret divorce became the source of scandal among mothers at afternoon tea.
Scandal about the newcomer's past spread quickly among the neighbors.
文法句型
scandal about + person
spread scandal
be full of scandal
用法筆記
Uncountable when referring to gossip in general ('the media thrives on scandal'). Countable when referring to a specific piece of gossip ('several scandals about the senator's past').
3. a situation that people find shocking and completely unacceptable because of how
a situation that people find shocking and completely unacceptable because of how unfair, shameful, or poorly managed it is.
The school has no money for basic textbooks — it is a real scandal.
pattern: it is a [adjective] scandal
Brooke called the terrible condition of the public hospital an absolute scandal.
collocation: absolute scandal
The lack of clean drinking water in such a wealthy city is a national scandal.
What a scandal that elderly patients have to wait months for basic medical care!
Zuri described the treatment of seasonal workers as a public scandal that no one addresses.
文法句型
it is a scandal that…
what a scandal!
be a [adjective] scandal
用法筆記
Common in the pattern 'it is a scandal that + [clause]' to express strong disapproval of a situation. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not necessarily involve an active wrongdoing — it describes a state of affairs.
scandal — verb
1. to say or write false and damaging things about someone in order to harm their r
to say or write false and damaging things about someone in order to harm their reputation.
The politician claimed her opponent tried to scandalize her name by spreading false rumors about a fake university degree.
scandalize [someone's] name — formal register; false rumors context
Astrid sued the newspaper for scandalizing her character with completely false stories.
In the office, Takeshi's reputation was scandalized by a jealous coworker who told the boss he stole company funds.
It was proven that the journalist scandalized Renata's family name, forcing the paper to print a formal apology.
- praise
to speak highly of someone publicly
文法句型
scandal + noun phrase (reputation / name / character)
用法筆記
Very rare in modern English — most speakers prefer 'defame', 'slander', or 'libel' in legal and formal contexts, or 'badmouth' in informal contexts. The form 'scandalize' (with -ize) is more common for this meaning than the bare verb 'scandal.'
常見錯誤
2. to bring shame or dishonor to a person, group, or institution through morally wr
to bring shame or dishonor to a person, group, or institution through morally wrong behavior.
The entire charity organization was scandalized by its dishonest treasurer's theft.
passive: [organization] was scandalized by [wrongdoing]
Sahil's gambling debts scandalized his family and brought lasting shame to their name in the community.
collocation: scandalize a family; specific wrongdoing context
It scandalized the whole country that its former leader had accepted bribes from foreign companies.
The entire company was scandalized by the CEO's insider trading, which left hundreds of employees jobless.
- honor
to bring respect and credit to someone or something
文法句型
scandal + noun phrase (family / organization / country)
用法筆記
Even rarer than verb sense 1. The noun 'scandal' or the verb 'scandalize' (to shock by violating moral standards) is far more common in contemporary English for expressing this idea.