Scapegoat

Pronunciation: /ˈskeɪpˌɡoʊt/

Definitions of scapegoat

noun a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place

Example Sentences

A1 In the story, the poor donkey was the scapegoat for all the farm animals' misdeeds.

A2 The politician tried to use the media as a scapegoat for his own mistakes.

B1 The company CEO made the junior employee the scapegoat for the failed project.

B2 The coach made the star player the scapegoat for the team's loss in the championship game.

C1 The government used the minority group as a scapegoat to distract the public from their corruption scandals.

C2 The CEO was quick to find a scapegoat for the company's financial troubles, blaming it on the economic downturn.

Examples of scapegoat in a Sentence

formal The CEO was unfairly made the scapegoat for the company's financial losses.

informal Don't be a scapegoat for your friend's mistakes.

slang She always ends up being the scapegoat in our group of friends.

figurative The politician used the media as a scapegoat to deflect attention from his scandals.

Grammatical Forms of scapegoat

• past tense: scapegoated
• plural: scapegoats
• comparative: more scapegoat
• superlative: most scapegoat
• present tense: scapegoats
• future tense: will scapegoat
• perfect tense: have scapegoated
• continuous tense: is scapegoating
• singular: scapegoat
• positive degree: scapegoat
• infinitive: to scapegoat
• gerund: scapegoating
• participle: scapegoated

Origin and Evolution of scapegoat

First Known Use: 1530 year

Language of Origin: Hebrew

Story behind the word: The term 'scapegoat' originates from the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically from the Book of Leviticus.

Evolution of the word: Originally, a scapegoat referred to a goat that was symbolically burdened with the sins of the community and then sent into the wilderness to atone for those sins. Over time, the term evolved to refer to a person who is blamed or punished for the mistakes or wrongdoings of others.