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

• 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

Blain said Thursday in a press release sent by his attorney Robert Salgado of Counterpoint Legal that the recall effort – and multiple censure attempts – are not about misconduct. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2025

The report also found two other officers, commanders Makeba Lewis and Jared Thyssen, guilty of misconduct for not taking appropriate actions to address O'Malley's wrongdoings. —Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 31 July 2025

In addition to Andrew and Dershowitz, magician David Copperfield, French celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai and music icon Michael Jackson were among the names mentioned in the unsealed court documents, though they were not accused of misconduct. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 30 July 2025

The Justice Department filed a formal complaint on Monday, accusing U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of misconduct and demanding that he be removed from a high-profile deportation case and face reprimand. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 29 July 2025

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