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Synonyms

malfeasance

American  
[mal-fee-zuhns] / mælˈfi zəns /

noun

Law.

  1. the performance of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law, especially by a public official or a person in a position of public trust.

malfeasance British  
/ mælˈfiːzəns /

noun

  1. law the doing of a wrongful or illegal act, esp by a public official Compare misfeasance nonfeasance

"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

Other Word Forms

  • malfeasant adjective

Etymology

Origin of malfeasance

First recorded in 1660–70; earlier malefeasance. See male-, feasance

Compare meaning

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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

He often writes about fraud, financial crime, cryptocurrency and corporate malfeasance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

In the world of family inheritance, such financial malfeasance is not unheard of.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 2, 2026

Mike Bonin, a former city councilman, said he believed Price’s alleged malfeasance should be handled by the city’s Ethics Commission — not criminal prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Self-defense or no, what I’d done was unquestionably malfeasance.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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.