A person or group that is unfairly blamed for problems or negative outcomes, often to divert attention from the true causes.
The manager used the intern as a scapegoat for the project's failure, even though the issues were beyond the intern's control.
In historical or religious contexts, a goat sent into the wilderness after the Jewish chief priest had symbolically laid the sins of the people upon it.
During the ancient ritual, the community would send a scapegoat into the desert to atone for their sins.
scapegoatприлагательное
Определения
Attributive, relating to or involving a scapegoat; assigning blame to someone or something unfairly.
The scapegoat theory explains prejudice as a way to vent frustration on a powerless group.