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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In her 30-year career, Laura has won numerous national awards for coverage of human trafficking, child welfare, crime and government secrecy.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
23 June 2025
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Her only 'crime' seems to be coming from the 'wrong' country.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Here are the inspection scores and violations for restaurants within the city limits of Fort Worth for June 1st - June 14th, 2025.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 June 2025
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In addition to excessive force, the complaint claimed denial of medical care, governmental liability, supervisory liability, wrongful death and survival action, and that the actions of the law enforcement officers constituted a violation of the Arkansas Civil Rights Act of 1993.—
Dale Ellis,
Arkansas Online,
19 June 2025
Noun
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The fact is, Sinners is not about sin in the religious sense but more about America’s most significant secular violation: its refusal to face itself.—
Sughnen Yongo,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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Yet no former secretary of state has been more vehemently criticized, most notably for sins of omission and commission in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile and East Timor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefaction. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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