malfeasance
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of malfeasance
First recorded in 1660–70; earlier malefeasance. See male-, feasance
Compare meaning
How does malfeasance compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Whenever you see the prefix "mal-," you know it's not good. Malfeasance is bad behavior, especially from officials or people who should know better. If nothing else, the mal- in malfeasance will alert you to the fact that something bad is going on. If you know French, fease-, faise- will ring a bell, as it often means "to do." You can probably then infer that malfeasance means "to do bad." Today, it's usually a bad deed done by an official or an organization. You wouldn't accuse a dog who peed on the carpet of malfeasance, but you would accuse a mayor who took a bribe of malfeasance.
Vocabulary lists containing malfeasance
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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This Week in Words: January 27 - February 2, 2018
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Scythe
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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.
“Elections should be free from fraud or any other malfeasance that subverts the will of the people,” she added.
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2026
Stephan said her office is continuing to investigate suspected malfeasance of county funds and encourages employees to report concerns.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026
In the world of family inheritance, such financial malfeasance is not unheard of.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026
The Federal Trade Commission Act defines “cause” as “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
Well, perfection was subjective—Rowan certainly wouldn’t call the man a perfect scythe—but there was nothing in Goddard’s repertoire of malfeasance that would suggest he would murder Faraday.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
