malfeasance

[ mal-fee-zuh ns ]
/ mælˈfi zəns /
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noun Law.

the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust).Compare misfeasance(def 2), nonfeasance.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of malfeasance

1690–1700; earlier malefeasance. See male-, feasance

OTHER WORDS FROM malfeasance

mal·fea·sant, adjective, noun

Words nearby malfeasance

malentendu, maleruption, malevich, malevolence, malevolent, malfeasance, malformation, malformed, malfunction, malgaigne's luxation, malgré lui
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to malfeasance

misconduct, misbehavior, impropriety, wrongdoing, delinquency

Example sentences from the Web for malfeasance

British Dictionary definitions for malfeasance

malfeasance
/ (mælˈfiːzəns) /

noun

law the doing of a wrongful or illegal act, esp by a public officialCompare misfeasance, nonfeasance

Derived forms of malfeasance

malfeasant, noun, adjective

Word Origin for malfeasance

C17: from Old French mal faisant, from mal evil + faisant doing, from faire to do, from Latin facere
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012