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

Santa Ana’s Police Oversight Commission has begun reviewing citizen complaints alleging police misconduct — a key duty of the 3-year-old commission that has faced years of administrative setbacks and delays. —Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 13 Jan. 2026

The alleged misconduct included tickling the boys without consent, according to New Mexico station KOAT. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026

However, the status of that disciplinary proceeding was unclear, as the Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether officers like Spilotro who face serious misconduct cases have the right to ask an independent arbitrator, rather than the Police Board, decide their fate. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026

Current plaintiffs have sought Wexner’s deposition, arguing that his role on OSU’s board gave him important insight into the school’s handling of Strauss after allegations of his misconduct first surfaced. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Jan. 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