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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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
  • The former prince has repeatedly denied committing any crimes.
    — Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026
  • In the 1980s Americans became gripped with satanic panic, the fear that Satan worshippers were committing heinous crimes against children.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of crime
Noun
  • That was true in its yeshiva reform efforts when hesitant and understaffed local districts were charged with investigations and, even when violations were substantiated, the schools couldn’t be closed down.
    — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • But that still amounts to 79 inquiries now being double-checked for a possible violation of policy.
    — Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Some would argue that Paxton’s sins are more exotic than those of your ordinary Texan.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Just before the Devil drawing is a churchman’s confession of a lengthy list of sins.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 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 4 Nov. 2026.

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