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
The Boston Herald
Examples of misbehavior in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For students with disabilities, broad and subjective categories of misbehavior justify removing students from school hundreds of thousands of times a year, a sign their federal protection is failing.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Japan’s entertainment industry has long been known for looking away from or covering up incidents of misbehavior.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The notice cited a preliminary ruling by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which recently got a new chief, Wu Qing, an industry veteran with a reputation for being tough on market misbehavior.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Under the bill, each district’s policy would need to include certain elements, including:
Student and parental behavior standards and a discipline structure of increasing consequences for bus misbehavior.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024
To do so, officials are spelling out how a series of measures will mean harsh consequences for misbehavior — and discomfort even for those who simply want to have a good time.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
Betsy Barros, a lower court judge filling in on the Court of Appeals because of recusals, appeared alarmed by Burke’s ruling allowing prosecutors to confront Weinstein about unrelated misbehavior.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024
His misbehavior is lightly psychologized but not justified; the show portrays him at his most charming and socially savvy and observant and kind — but also as intentionally manipulative and cruel.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024
It’s situated at the juncture where freedom is just about to give way to misbehavior.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Japan’s entertainment industry has long been known for looking away from or covering up incidents of misbehavior.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The notice cited a preliminary ruling by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which recently got a new chief, Wu Qing, an industry veteran with a reputation for being tough on market misbehavior.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Under the bill, each district’s policy would need to include certain elements, including:
Student and parental behavior standards and a discipline structure of increasing consequences for bus misbehavior.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024
To do so, officials are spelling out how a series of measures will mean harsh consequences for misbehavior — and discomfort even for those who simply want to have a good time.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
Betsy Barros, a lower court judge filling in on the Court of Appeals because of recusals, appeared alarmed by Burke’s ruling allowing prosecutors to confront Weinstein about unrelated misbehavior.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024
His misbehavior is lightly psychologized but not justified; the show portrays him at his most charming and socially savvy and observant and kind — but also as intentionally manipulative and cruel.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024
It’s situated at the juncture where freedom is just about to give way to misbehavior.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misbehavior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misbehavior
Cite this Entry
“Misbehavior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehavior. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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