scandalize

To scandalize someone means to shock or offend them deeply, often because something seems immoral, improper, or against social norms. Think of a royal family member behaving badly: that might scandalize the nation. A juicy tabloid story is written to scandalize its readers. You can also be scandalized, which means you feel shocked or offended by what you hear or see.

The word is often linked with public disapproval, but it can also describe the reaction of one person or a small group. If your friend tells a very embarrassing story about their date, they might worry it will scandalize everyone at the table. It is not only about what happened, but also about how other people react to it.

To scandalize means to cause shock, offense, or moral outrage, often because something seems improper, immoral, or far outside what people think is acceptable. It usually suggests more than mild offense. The reaction is stronger, with a sense that a line has been crossed. For example: "His reckless spending habits scandalized the investors," or "Her outspoken views on politics scandalized her conservative neighbors."

To scandalize is not always about doing something that is clearly wrong in every setting. Very often, it depends on how an action is seen by a certain group, community, or culture. What seems normal in one place might deeply scandalize people somewhere else.

You can also be scandalized, meaning you are deeply shocked or offended by what someone says or does. If you say "she was scandalized by his crude jokes," you mean she found them seriously inappropriate, not just rude or annoying. The word often carries a sense of moral judgment, as if the behavior is not merely surprising but unacceptable.

Historically, scandalize could also mean harming someone's good name or leading others into moral trouble. That older sense still appears sometimes, but in modern everyday English the word usually focuses on shocking or offending people through behavior, speech, or revelations.

So whether you are talking about a public figure caught in wrongdoing, a surprising revelation, or something that people find deeply improper, to scandalize is to trigger strong offense or outrage by going against expected standards of behavior.