1. an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage: "a bribery scandal involving one of his key supporters"Similaroutrageous wrongdoingoutrageous behaviorimmoral behaviorunethical behaviordiscreditable behaviorshocking incident/series of eventsimproprietymisconductwrongdoingoffensetransgressioncrimesinskeleton in the cupboardskeleton in the closetinformal:businessaffair-gate
▪ rumor or malicious gossip about scandalous events or actions: "I know that you would want no scandal attached to her name"Similarmalicious gossipmalicious rumor (s)slanderlibelscandalmongeringcalumnydefamationaspersionsmuckrakingsmear campaigninformal:dirt
▪ a state of affairs regarded as wrong or reprehensible and causing general public outrage or anger:"it's a scandal that many older patients are dismissed as untreatable"Similardisgraceoutrageinjusticeshamepitycrying shameaffrontinsultreproach
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘discredit to religion (by the reprehensible behavior of a religious person)’): from Old French scandale, from ecclesiastical Latin scandalum ‘cause of offense’, from Greek skandalon ‘snare, stumbling block’.
