different between harmful vs scandalous

English

Alternative forms

• harmfull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English harmful, from Old English *hearmful (suggested by hearmfull?? (“harmful; hurtful”)), equivalent to harm +? -ful.

Cognate with German harmvoll, Danish harmfuld, Swedish harmfull.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h??mfl?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??mfl?/

Adjective

harmful (comparative harmfuller or more harmful, superlative harmfullest or most harmful)

1. of a kind likely to be damaging; injurious

   Wear a hat to protect your skin from harmful sunlight.

Usage notes

• Nouns to which "harmful" is often applied: effect, consequence, impact, influence, emission, chemical, ingredient, substance, gas, agent, additive, drug, radiation, dust, organism, plant, animal, insect, action, act, behavior, component, content, activity, interference, use.

Synonyms

• injurious; see also Thesaurus:harmful

Antonyms

• beneficial
• harmless

Translations

See also

• harm

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin scandalosus, via French scandaleuse; as if scandal + -ous.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?skænd?l?s/

Adjective

scandalous (comparative more scandalous, superlative most scandalous)

1. Wrong, immoral, causing a scandal
   • 1884, Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

     The thing made a big stir in the town, too, and a good many come out flatfooted and said it was scandalous to separate the mother and the children that way.

2. Malicious, defamatory.
   • 1592, Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedie

     These be the scandalous reports of such / As loves not me, and hate my lord too much.

   • 1887, Marie Corelli, Thelma

     I always disregard gossip--it is generally scandalous, and seldom true.
3. Outrageous; exceeding reasonable limits.

Derived terms

• scandalously
• scandalousness

Translations