scandal

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A publicized incident that brings about disgrace or offends the moral sensibilities of society: a drug scandal that forced the mayor's resignation.
2. n. A person, thing, or circumstance that causes or ought to cause disgrace or outrage: a politician whose dishonesty is a scandal; considered the housing shortage a scandal.
3. n. Damage to reputation or character caused by public disclosure of immoral or grossly improper behavior; disgrace.
4. n. Talk that is damaging to one's character; malicious gossip.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Offense caused by faults or misdeeds; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is considered wrong; opprobrium; shame; disgrace.
2. n. Reproachful aspersion; defamatory speech or report; something uttered which is injurious to reputation; defamatory talk; malicious gossip.
3. n. In law: A report, rumor, or action whereby one is affronted in public.
4. n. An irrelevant and defamatory or indecent statement introduced into a pleading or proceeding; any allegation or statement which is unbecoming the dignity of the court to hear, or is contrary to good manners, or which unnecessarily either charges a person with a crime or bears cruelly on his moral character.
5. n. That which causes scandal or gives offense; an action or circumstance that brings public disgrace to the persons involved, or offends public morals.
6. n. Synonyms Discredit, disrepute, dishonor.
7. n. Backbiting, slander, calumny, detraction.
8. To throw scandal on; defame; asperse; traduce.
9. To scandalize; offend; shock.

Wiktionary

1. n. An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
2. n. Damage to one's reputation.
3. n. Widespread moral outrage, indignation, as over an offence to decency.
4. n. theology Religious discredit; an act or behaviour which brings a religion into discredit.
5. n. theology Something which hinders acceptance of religious ideas or behaviour; a stumbling-block or offense.
6. n. Defamatory talk; gossip, slander.
7. v. obsolete To treat opprobriously; to defame; to slander.
8. v. obsolete To scandalize; to offend.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Offense caused or experienced; reproach or reprobation called forth by what is regarded as wrong, criminal, heinous, or flagrant: opprobrium or disgrace.
2. n. Reproachful aspersion; opprobrious censure; defamatory talk, uttered heedlessly or maliciously.
3. n. (Equity) Anything alleged in pleading which is impertinent, and is reproachful to any person, or which derogates from the dignity of the court, or is contrary to good manners.
4. v. rare To treat opprobriously; to defame; to asperse; to traduce; to slander.
5. v. obsolete To scandalize; to offend.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a disgraceful event
2. n. disgraceful gossip about the private lives of other people