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

• malfeasance
• misbehavior
• misdoing
• 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

Federal investigators and the city’s Department of Investigation are examining the overtime issue and the allegations of misconduct against Mr. Maddrey, according to two people familiar with the matter. —Maria Cramer, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

The inmate accused of fatally attacking prison guard Andrew Lansing on Christmas Day was issued a misconduct report in April for making threats, according to Lansing's brother and the prison guard union. —Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024

While judges themselves are not above being allegedly accused of misconduct, their accountability often goes unnoticed by the public. —Leah Olajide, Detroit Free Press, 26 Dec. 2024

Whatever the fate of this show ends up being (creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez is currently facing allegations of misconduct on the set of his 2016 web series), future TV series should be leaping at the chance to get Christopher in their ensembles. —Vulture Staff, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024

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