misbehavior

noun

mis·​be·​hav·​ior ˌmis-bi-ˈhā-vyər 

-bē-

plural misbehaviors

1

: bad, improper, or rude behavior : ill conduct

scolded the children for their misbehavior

2

US military law : any conduct by a member of the armed forces before or in the presence of the enemy that does not conform to military standards or practice for such a situation

… is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

—The Boston Herald

Synonyms of misbehavior

• misconduct
• wrongdoing

Examples of misbehavior in a Sentence

would not tolerate any misbehavior from her students

Recent Examples on the Web

Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one. —Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026

In this context, misbehavior was almost inconceivable for the García children. —Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2025

The past two months of mostly sideways churn within 3% of record highs for the S & P 500 has helped to rebalance the market, puncturing the aggressive sense of destiny around many AI plays, subduing some speculative misbehavior and allowing valuations to settle. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2025

This has forced an expensive and widening crackdown on misbehavior, costing at least $50 million this year, according to agency data. —Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for misbehavior

• misbehaviour
• behavior
• behaviour
• havior
• savior
• saviour