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

When allegations of misconduct arose against Krauss at ASU, the physicist exchanged dozens of messages and emails with Epstein seeking advice on how to handle them. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 9 Mar. 2026

This comes amid the monarch’s cancer battle and Andrew’s arrest for misconduct in public office, with questions being asked about what King Charles and even Queen Elizabeth before him knew of Andrew’s dealings with Epstein. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 9 Mar. 2026

Potential eligibility issues included their work not being covered by unemployment insurance, voluntary departures from their job, termination for misconduct, insufficient past work, and previously exhausting benefits. —Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026

The White House fired a Republican member of the National Transportation Safety Board following reports of him drinking on the job, among other alleged misconduct. —Natalie Allison, Washington Post, 9 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