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 of misconduct

• 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

Since the intoxication allegation came to light, the Phan brothers’ attorneys have filed motions to hold an evidentiary hearing to learn more about the crash and to dismiss their case all together for potential prosecutorial misconduct. —Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 2 Mar. 2026

But Gonzales is now contending with misconduct allegations involving a staffer who later died by suicide. —Hunter Woodall, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026

The Legal Aid Society, which analyzed city data and released its findings Monday, said the ramifications of police misconduct will continue to be a problem because the NYPD too often fails to discipline officers and supervisors — especially if the allegations don’t make headlines. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026

This seems particularly important for him after he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 2 Mar. 2026

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