misbehavior
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of misbehavior
Explanation
When you do something wrong or bad, that's misbehavior. If your little brother hides your homework, intentionally dumps his cereal on the floor, and draws on the walls with permanent marker, you might say he's an expert in misbehavior. Whether an activity is mere naughtiness or more significant misconduct, it all falls under the category of misbehavior. When a politician pays someone to stay quiet about his misbehavior, he's added additional misbehavior to the record. If you know that behavior means the way you act, it's easy to see what happens when you add the prefix mis-, meaning "bad".
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Misbehavior, such as deliberate physical contact with an opponent, and other unsportsmanlike conduct can also lower a breaker’s score.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2022
Misbehavior in virtual reality is typically difficult to track because incidents occur in real time and are generally not recorded.
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2021
Representative Misbehavior A state legislator’s campaign for governor is fraught with complications in Tom Walla’s new political farce.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2019
Misbehavior brushed off as roguish a few decades ago can torpedo a candidate’s career in the post-#MeToo era.
From Slate • Feb. 18, 2019
“You got a Misbehavior Form?” she asked, flustered.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
