malefaction

noun

ˌma-lə-ˈfak-shən How to pronounce malefaction (audio)
Definition of malefactionnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefaction
  1. crime
  2. violation
  3. sin
Noun
  • New York City has policies that limit local law enforcement from sharing certain information with federal officers or honoring detainer requests unless immigrants have been convicted of violent crimes.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • All three are crime drama-thrillers, the most exportable and ordered of program types, but all three reject tropes of the genre.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of crime
Noun
  • Denny Hamlin served a safety violation after a tire bounced out of his team’s pit box, sending him to the back of the field temporarily.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Myriad violations, from food that should’ve been trashed weeks earlier to filthy equipment, befouled the state inspection of a West Miami-Dade supermarket this week.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Catholic teaching still calls suicide a grave sin, but recognizes mental illness can diminish responsibility; advocates want mental health ministries in parishes worldwide.
    — Luis Andres Henao, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • If the sin of Mars’ album was being too predictable, Styles’ bold and unexpected Kiss All the Time.
    — Alan Light, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sin

Browse Nearby Words

maledicts
malefaction
malefactions
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Cite this Entry

“Malefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefaction. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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