maladministration

1 of 2

noun

mal·​ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tion ˌma-ləd-ˌmi-nə-ˈstrā-shən 

1

: corrupt or incompetent administration (as of a public office)

2

: incorrect administration (as of a drug)

maladminister

ˌma-ləd-ˈmi-nə-stər 

transitive verb

maladminister

2 of 2

transitive verb

mal·​administer "+ 

: to administer improperly, poorly, or inefficiently

maladminister the public relief program

Examples of maladministration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Disgust, because the city’s maladministration has gone on for so long. — Colbert I. King, Washington Post, 5 July 2024

The consequence is untold waste, fraud, maladministration and lawlessness. — Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2024

Saying so much about the administration, or maladministration, of justice. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 2 Dec. 2024

Aside from a potential prison sentence for a felony conviction, a charge of bribery, corruption, malpractice, or maladministration could be grounds for impeachment under the New Hampshire Constitution. — Steven Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2023

The liberal impulse — insistence that injustice isn’t cured by patience, willingness to reform systems that calcify into maladministration — can keep institutions from becoming the archives of old hierarchies. — Robert T.f. Downes, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Transitive verb

mal- entry 1 + administer

First Known Use

Noun

1639, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for maladministration

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Medical Definition

maladministration

noun

mal·​ad·​min·​is·​tra·​tion ˌmal-əd-ˌmin-ə-ˈstrā-shən 

: incorrect administration (as of a drug)

maladministration of insulin