misconduct
Americannoun
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improper or wrong behavior.
Numerous accusations of sexual misconduct have blighted his campaign.
Her license was revoked for professional misconduct and poor professional performance.
- Synonyms:
- misstep, misdeed, misbehavior, wrongdoing
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unlawful behavior by an official in regard to their office, or by a person in the administration of justice, such as a lawyer, witness, or juror; malfeasance.
A complaint was filed against the prosecutor, alleging misconduct in the case.
verb (used with object)
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to mismanage.
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to misbehave (oneself ).
noun
verb
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to conduct (oneself) in such a way
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to manage (something) badly
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
misconductsimple
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misconductssimple
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have misconductedperfect
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has misconductedperfect
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am misconductingprogressive
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are misconductingprogressive
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is misconductingprogressive
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have been misconductingperfect progressive
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has been misconductingperfect progressive
Past
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misconductedsimple
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had misconductedperfect
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was misconductingprogressive
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were misconductingprogressive
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had been misconductingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of misconduct
Explanation
Misconduct is any kind of bad, unethical, or illegal activity. When there's misconduct, someone is doing something wrong. Since conduct is behavior, misconduct is behavior that's not quite right: some kind of shady or criminal conduct. If an accountant cooked the books — lied about finances — that's misconduct. A police officer taking a bribe is guilty of misconduct. Often, misconduct specifically refers to someone who does improper things on behalf of someone else, like the misconduct of a dishonest lawyer.
Vocabulary lists containing misconduct
mis-
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Simply Scandalous!
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mis-
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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.
See Examples For:
Newsom faced renewed criticism for the affair during the 2018 governor’s race amid a larger reckoning over sexual misconduct in politics, corporate America and Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The state, aware of the misconduct findings in Ohio, granted a temporary one that has since expired.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
HUD has launched an inspector general investigation of alleged misconduct at the agency and suspended it from procuring federal funds while the investigation is underway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The brothers claim Ledward's "misconduct is causing ongoing harm" to Boseman's elderly parents and depriving them "of financial assets at a vulnerable age when such support is most critical".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
State governments are broadly shielded from recovery for their employees' misconduct unless the employee works for an agency that can be sued.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Four players from each team received game misconducts 2 seconds into the game.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Florida was whistled for 14 penalties, including two misconducts by Tkachuk, who insisted the Panthers are simply playing their brand of physical hockey.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
“However,” she said, “the system that has allowed these misconducts remains.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2022
"I started skating towards him but I'm about 50 feet away from the guy. I'm getting misconducts for just talking now. Not quite sure what that's about. What are you going to do?"
From Fox News ● Oct. 29, 2021
The criminal who has completed his sentence ought to be deemed to have purged his offence, and has a right to return to the community and obtain work until, if ever, he again misconducts himself.
From The Empire of the East by Montgomery, H. B. (Helen Barrett)
He now said he thought Mrs. Burroughs had misconducted herself, and he could not order her husband to take her home again.
From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Mackie, Charles
Not that I have the vaguest notion as to how I have misconducted myself.
From Rossmoyne by Unknown
I am authowized to call for fifty volunteers; but I wish you all distinctly to understand that no man who has in any way misconducted himself will be accepted.
From Under the Meteor Flag Log of a Midshipman during the French Revolutionary War by Collingwood, Harry
They were shamefully treated; and it is recorded that the Oxford scholars hissed and howled and groaned, and misconducted themselves in an anything but a scholarly way.
From A Child's History of England by Townsend, F. H.
I shouldn’t have got in to-night, but the misconducted body’s asleep, though I’ll say it’s the first time I saw him sleeping these four days.
From We and the World, Part II A Book for Boys by Ewing, Juliana Horatia Gatty
If that's agreed, detectives will then look for evidence that the incident in question saw the suspect "wilfully" neglecting to perform their duty or wilfully misconducting themselves in some other way.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
Tilt, 31, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to wilfully misconducting himself in public office.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2022
Tilt, of Barley Green, Birmingham, admitted wilfully misconducting himself in public office at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2022
Thus a lot of people are misconducting themselves like this, and would enjoy programming that makes them feel represented in the media.
From New York Times ● Nov. 29, 2017
What balderdash has been spoken and written about poor Jack everlastingly misconducting himself!
From The Shellback's Progress In the Nineteenth Century by Runciman, Walter
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.
