ˈskand ə ləs, -aan- adjective
Etymology: Middle French scandaleux, from Medieval Latin scandalosus, from Late Latin scandalum stumbling block + Latin -osus -ous
1.
a. obsolete : constituting a spiritual or moral lapse endangering by example faith or morals
b. obsolete , of a clergyman : endangering faith or morals through conduct or views
2. : containing shocking or defamatory information : libelous
only read it for the scandalous passages — Arnold Bennett
3. : offensive to public or individual sense of propriety or morality : exciting reprobation
considered the publisher a scandalous person, and had refused to meet him — W.B.Yeats
rumors about the scandalous treatment of the native population — H.O.Mackey
• scan·dal·ous·ly adverb
• scan·dal·ous·ness noun -es