malfeasant

American  

[mal-fee-zuhnt] / mælˈfi zənt /

noun

1. a person who engages in an act that is illegal, legally unjustified, or harmful, especially a public official or person in a position of public trust.

   We will not restore the people’s confidence with bland assurances that the malfeasants are mere outliers who will be punished.

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adjective

1. (especially of a public official or person in a position of public trust) engaging in an act that is illegal, legally unjustified, or harmful.

   This government zealously pursues malfeasant civil servants and prosecutes them.

Etymology

Origin of malfeasant

First recorded in 1830–40; malfeas(ance) ( def. ) + -ant ( def. )

Example Sentences

He called on the TEA to expand its investigation and he demanded that members of the school board investigate "themselves for their own malfeasant actions."

From Fox News

The 2010 complaint concerned a colleague, the director of our clinical pathology laboratory and one of our most distinguished African American scientists, who was being subjected to malfeasant actions by the university.

From Washington Post

In this case the malfeasant was film critic David Edelstein, who made a stupid, quickly deleted, misfired “joke” on his private Facebook page, regarding the death of Last Tango in Paris director Bernardo Bertolucci.

From The Guardian

As hobbyists and malfeasants alike turn neighborhood parks into airports, the newly democratized skies are becoming increasingly crowded.

From New York Times

In the global arena, the EU will have to fend without the one nation still willing to use force against the malfeasants du jour.

From The Wall Street Journal