scandalmongery
Etymology
From scandalmonger + -y.
scandalmongery means the act of listening to and telling scandalous rumors. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
Why “scandalmongery” is a great word
SCANDALMONGERY — [Noun] The act or practice of spreading scandalous rumors. From scandalmonger (from scandal + monger, meaning "dealer in scandal") + the noun-forming suffix -y. Unlike gossip, which may be idle or trivial, or defamation, which is a broad legal charge, scandalmongery denotes the specific, often habitual vocation of trafficking in reputational ruin. It is the half-whisper in a crowded parlor, the ink-stained broadsheet sold on a damp corner, and the glinting, insistent cursor in a darkened room—a grubby commerce that polishes its coins with other people's good names.
noun
- The act of listening to and telling scandalous rumors.“As may be supposed, the business could not but suffer by these long hours passed in drunkenness and scandalmongery, but Mrs, Eusville had three daughters to bring out, and she hoped — when she had disposed of her shop, and her feet were set on the redoubtable staircase of Cork Hill — that her aristocratic friend would extend to her a corial helping hand.”
- A scandalous rumor that is spread in such a manner.“You must own their lot has not fallen in a fair ground, and as far as I can make out, although their visits are productive of a terrible amount of gossip and scandalmongery, they have never been found out in thieving or roguery.””