scapegoat

1 of 2

noun

scape·goat ˈskāp-ˌgōt How to pronounce scapegoat (audio)

: a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur

: one that bears the blame for others

: one that is the object of irrational hostility

scapegoat

2 of 2

verb

scapegoated; scapegoating; scapegoats

transitive verb

: to make a scapegoat of

scapegoatism

ˈskāp-ˌgō-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce scapegoat (audio)

noun

Did you know?

On Yom Kippur, the ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat for the Lord and lead another one into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people. The ceremony is described in Leviticus, where it is said that one lot shall be cast for the Lord and one for "Azazel." Modern scholars usually interpret Azazel as being the name of a demon living in the desert, but ancient biblical translators thought Azazel referred to the goat itself, apparently confusing it with the Hebrew phrase ez ozel, meaning "goat that departs." The mistranslation was carried through Greek and Latin into a 16th-century English translation, where the word for the goat was rendered as scapegoote; that is, "goat that escapes." The extended senses of scapegoat we use today evolved from this biblical use.

Did you know?

The History of Scapegoat

Scapegoat has a fascinating history. Today the word is used to refer to one who is wrongly blamed for something, but it originated with an actual goat.

In the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, God ordained a particular day during which the entire nation of Israel would set aside work, and during which the priests would atone for the sin of the whole nation. Among the rituals prescribed was the scapegoat:

And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. —Leviticus 16:8-10, KJV

The scapegoat carried the sin of the people away with it, thereby cleansing Israel for another year.

The English scapegoat is a compound of the archaic verb scape, which means "escape," and goat, and is modeled on a misreading of the Hebrew ʽazāzēl (which is probably the name of a demon) as ʽēz 'ōzēl , "the goat that departs." More modern translations render scapegoat in this text as Azazel, but the misreading endured and has entered the lexicon.

Example Sentences

Noun The CEO was made the scapegoat for the company's failures. companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The government needed a scapegoat' Bill Hughes and Mark Chilson represented Barclay in court.

Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 31 Aug. 2022 Those who scapegoat are aware of their negativity and blaming.

Katherine Kam, Washington Post, 19 July 2022 In the trial’s opening statements last November, Maxwell’s lawyer Sternheim said her client was being treated as a scapegoat and a stand-in for the late Epstein.

Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2022 In Thrasher’s telling, Johnson serves as a convenient scapegoat for society’s sins.

Sarah Carr, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 But instead of working to keep us safe and actually fix the process, Republicans would rather use the border as a political talking point to divide Americans and scapegoat immigrants.

Brandon Gillespie, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2022 More often than not, this guru gives them a convenient scapegoat for their problems, telling them that the issue isn’t their lack of looks or money or empathy or talent or charisma, but women and/or minority groups and/or the liberal media.

Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2022 Kari Lake, naturally, jumped on the latest conservative scapegoat threatening Arizona’s children.

Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 28 July 2022 The National Neighborhoods Cup is intended to shine a positive spotlight on working-class areas with large immigrant populations that some politicians and commentators scapegoat as breeding grounds for crime, riots and Islamic extremism.

The Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2022

Verb

Following the lead set by Donald Trump, conservatives have tended to scapegoat Joe Biden for last year’s ignominious exit from Afghanistan.

Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 2 Sep. 2022 Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin last week accused state authorities of selectively releasing information to scapegoat local law enforcement officials, rather than DPS officers who also responded to the shooting.

Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 Danilov argued that the FSB was in fact responsible for the bombing and is trying to scapegoat Ukraine.

Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 23 Aug. 2022 Many Tunisians have blamed the Islamist Ennahda party for the country’s political failures — claims that party officials say are efforts to scapegoat them for systemic problems.

Mohamed Bliwa, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2022 When two heavily armed seniors at Columbine High School walked into their school in 1999 and killed 13 people, many media outlets attempted to scapegoat the influence of violent films, video games, and music.

Al Shipley, Billboard, 26 May 2022 Right-wing politicians and media are trying to scapegoat frozen wind turbines for the state’s power disaster.

Heather Hansman, Outside Online, 17 Feb. 2021 The country needs to address the root cause of inflation and not scapegoat mobile money platforms.

Tawanda Karombo, Quartz, 28 Apr. 2022 To justify its takeover, the government is trying to scapegoat the appraisal industry—which is 97% white, 70% male and not well-organized—for having caused large disparities in racial wealth and homeownership.

Edward Pinto And Tobias Peter, WSJ, 28 Mar. 2022 See More

单词	scapegoat
释义	scapegoat 1 of 2 noun scape·goat ˈskāp-ˌgōt 1 : a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur 2 a : one that bears the blame for others b : one that is the object of irrational hostility scapegoat 2 of 2 verb scapegoated; scapegoating; scapegoats transitive verb : to make a scapegoat of scapegoatism ˈskāp-ˌgō-ˌti-zəm noun Did you know? On Yom Kippur, the ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat for the Lord and lead another one into the wilderness bearing the sins of the people. The ceremony is described in Leviticus, where it is said that one lot shall be cast for the Lord and one for "Azazel." Modern scholars usually interpret Azazel as being the name of a demon living in the desert, but ancient biblical translators thought Azazel referred to the goat itself, apparently confusing it with the Hebrew phrase ez ozel, meaning "goat that departs." The mistranslation was carried through Greek and Latin into a 16th-century English translation, where the word for the goat was rendered as scapegoote; that is, "goat that escapes." The extended senses of scapegoat we use today evolved from this biblical use. Did you know? The History of Scapegoat Scapegoat has a fascinating history. Today the word is used to refer to one who is wrongly blamed for something, but it originated with an actual goat. In the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, God ordained a particular day during which the entire nation of Israel would set aside work, and during which the priests would atone for the sin of the whole nation. Among the rituals prescribed was the scapegoat: And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. —Leviticus 16:8-10, KJV The scapegoat carried the sin of the people away with it, thereby cleansing Israel for another year. The English scapegoat is a compound of the archaic verb scape, which means "escape," and goat, and is modeled on a misreading of the Hebrew ʽazāzēl (which is probably the name of a demon) as ʽēz 'ōzēl , "the goat that departs." More modern translations render scapegoat in this text as Azazel, but the misreading endured and has entered the lexicon. Synonyms Noun fall guy goat whipping boy See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun The CEO was made the scapegoat for the company's failures. companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales Recent Examples on the Web Noun The government needed a scapegoat' Bill Hughes and Mark Chilson represented Barclay in court. Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 31 Aug. 2022 Those who scapegoat are aware of their negativity and blaming. Katherine Kam, Washington Post, 19 July 2022 In the trial’s opening statements last November, Maxwell’s lawyer Sternheim said her client was being treated as a scapegoat and a stand-in for the late Epstein. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2022 In Thrasher’s telling, Johnson serves as a convenient scapegoat for society’s sins. Sarah Carr, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022 But instead of working to keep us safe and actually fix the process, Republicans would rather use the border as a political talking point to divide Americans and scapegoat immigrants. Brandon Gillespie, Fox News, 19 Aug. 2022 More often than not, this guru gives them a convenient scapegoat for their problems, telling them that the issue isn’t their lack of looks or money or empathy or talent or charisma, but women and/or minority groups and/or the liberal media. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 17 Aug. 2022 Kari Lake, naturally, jumped on the latest conservative scapegoat threatening Arizona’s children. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 28 July 2022 The National Neighborhoods Cup is intended to shine a positive spotlight on working-class areas with large immigrant populations that some politicians and commentators scapegoat as breeding grounds for crime, riots and Islamic extremism. The Christian Science Monitor, 4 July 2022 Verb Following the lead set by Donald Trump, conservatives have tended to scapegoat Joe Biden for last year’s ignominious exit from Afghanistan. Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 2 Sep. 2022 Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin last week accused state authorities of selectively releasing information to scapegoat local law enforcement officials, rather than DPS officers who also responded to the shooting. Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 28 June 2022 Danilov argued that the FSB was in fact responsible for the bombing and is trying to scapegoat Ukraine. Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 23 Aug. 2022 Many Tunisians have blamed the Islamist Ennahda party for the country’s political failures — claims that party officials say are efforts to scapegoat them for systemic problems. Mohamed Bliwa, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2022 When two heavily armed seniors at Columbine High School walked into their school in 1999 and killed 13 people, many media outlets attempted to scapegoat the influence of violent films, video games, and music. Al Shipley, Billboard, 26 May 2022 Right-wing politicians and media are trying to scapegoat frozen wind turbines for the state’s power disaster. Heather Hansman, Outside Online, 17 Feb. 2021 The country needs to address the root cause of inflation and not scapegoat mobile money platforms. Tawanda Karombo, Quartz, 28 Apr. 2022 To justify its takeover, the government is trying to scapegoat the appraisal industry—which is 97% white, 70% male and not well-organized—for having caused large disparities in racial wealth and homeownership. Edward Pinto And Tobias Peter, WSJ, 28 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun scape entry 1; intended as translation of Hebrew ʽazāzēl (probably name of a demon), as if ʽēz 'ōzēl goat that departs—Leviticus 16:8 (King James Version) First Known Use Noun 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb 1943, in the meaning defined above scapegoat noun as in excuse a person or thing taking the blame for others companies often use the economy as a scapegoat to avoid taking responsibility for dropping sales Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance excuse victim goat fall guy mockery whipping boy dupe monkey laughingstock butt fool mark
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scapegoat

noun

verb

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Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun