misconduct

noun

mis·​con·​duct ˌmis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt 

1

: mismanagement especially of governmental or military responsibilities

2

: intentional wrongdoing

specifically : deliberate violation of a law or standard especially by a government official : malfeasance

3

a

: improper behavior

b

: adultery

4

: a penalty (as in ice hockey) for improper behavior or abusive language (as toward an official)

misconduct

ˌmis-kən-ˈdəkt 

transitive verb

Synonyms

• malfeasance
• misbehavior
• misdoing
• wrongdoing

Examples of misconduct in a Sentence

He was forced to defend himself against charges of sexual misconduct.

There have been reports of misconduct by several employees.

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident was one of several investigations the San Diego Police Department made public last month under SB 16 and SB 1421, two laws that make some officer misconduct files public. —Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 June 2024

The Aces were subsequently penalized by the WNBA after Hamby’s workplace misconduct allegations, which included being stripped of the team’s 2025 first-round pick. —John W. Davis, Orange County Register, 8 June 2024

However, the major questions were not about the drug itself but about the potential for misconduct by therapists when dealing with patients who are particularly vulnerable under the influence of MDMA. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 7 June 2024

The commission has received more than 26,300 misconduct reports involving 16,617 officers — more than one-fifth the number of full-time officers — the bulk of which allege excessive use of force or biased enforcement. —Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

misconduct

noun

mis·​con·​duct (ˈ)mis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt 

1

: bad management

2

: improper or unlawful behavior

misconduct

ˌmis-kən-ˈdəkt 

verb

Legal Definition

misconduct

noun

mis·​con·​duct mis-ˈkän-dəkt 

: intentional or wanton wrongful but usually not criminal behavior: as

a

: deliberate or wanton violation of standards of conduct by a government official

b

: wrongful behavior (as adultery) by a spouse that leads to the dissolution of the marriage

c

: an attorney's violation of the standards set for professional conduct

also : an attorney's and especially a prosecutor's use of deceptive or reprehensible methods in presenting a case to a jury

d

: impermissible behavior by a juror (as communicating about the case with outsiders, witnesses, or others, reading or hearing news reports about the case, or independently introducing evidence to other jurors)

e

: an employee's deliberate or wanton disregard of an employer's interests or disregard or violation of the employer's standards or rules that is sufficient to justify a denial of unemployment compensation