as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code
the town treasurer has been linked to the kickback scheme and other financial malefactions
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Recent Examples of malefaction
And the principle remains that representing a malefactor isn’t, ipso facto, an act of malefaction.
—
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022
A pitch-framing specialist with rare agility behind the plate, Wolters must coax pitchers through Coors Field and its occasional malefactions.
—Orange County Register, 1 Apr. 2017
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022
A pitch-framing specialist with rare agility behind the plate, Wolters must coax pitchers through Coors Field and its occasional malefactions.
—Orange County Register, 1 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefaction
Noun
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The crimes with which she has been charged are trumped up and her arrest is a cynical ploy by the junta headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to cling onto power.—
Kim Aris,
Time,
7 Nov. 2025
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Rafael is a crime and breaking news reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The most common template for an insider trading violation is as follows.—
Samidh Guha,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
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In Chicago, the indelible image of a pastor in a clerical collar shot in the head with a pepper ball by agents standing on the rooftop of an ICE building is a direct violation of CBP’s use of force policy.—
Andy Rose 19 hr ago,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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If, in Christian doctrine, the soul’s purpose is to transcend the body, then a soulless creature has no sin to commit.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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The anthology’s first volume explores themes of ancestral sin, family, piety and consequence.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefaction. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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