malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance ˌmal-ˈfē-zᵊn(t)s 

: wrongdoing or misconduct especially by a public official

The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.

Synonyms

• misbehavior
• misconduct
• misdoing
• wrongdoing

Examples of malfeasance in a Sentence

The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.

a campaign to impeach the governor for malfeasance in office

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples of regulatory malfeasance occurred during both the Obama and the Biden administrations. —Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

As evidence of malfeasance, Donna Arduin, the new chief financial officer, wrote in an e-mail to staff that Rutter and her team had bequeathed the center an operating deficit of more than a hundred million dollars. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2025

The Democrats both argued that Trump’s move violated a federal law stating that commissioners can only be removed for cause, such as neglect or malfeasance in office. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025

Most notably in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's structure of a single leader removable only for inefficiency, neglect or malfeasance was unconstitutional. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

mal- + obsolete feasance doing, execution

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for malfeasance

• defeasance
• misfeasance
• nonfeasance
• treasons

Kids Definition

malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance (ˈ)mal-ˈfēz-ᵊn(t)s 

: wrongful conduct especially by a public official

Legal Definition

malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance ˌmal-ˈfēz-ᵊns 

: the commission (as by a public official) of a wrongful or unlawful act involving or affecting the performance of one's duties compare misfeasance, nonfeasance

Etymology

mal- bad + obsolete English feasance doing, execution, from Old French faisance, from fais-, stem of faire to make, do, from Latin facere