misbehavior

American  

[mis-bi-heyv-yer] / ˌmɪs bɪˈheɪv yər /

especially British, misbehaviour

noun

1. improper, inappropriate, or bad behavior.

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Etymology

Origin of misbehavior

First recorded in 1480–90; mis- ¹ + behavior

Explanation

When you do something wrong or bad, that's misbehavior. If your little brother hides your homework, intentionally dumps his cereal on the floor, and draws on the walls with permanent marker, you might say he's an expert in misbehavior. Whether an activity is mere naughtiness or more significant misconduct, it all falls under the category of misbehavior. When a politician pays someone to stay quiet about his misbehavior, he's added additional misbehavior to the record. If you know that behavior means the way you act, it's easy to see what happens when you add the prefix mis-, meaning "bad".

Example Sentences

Then the pandemic hit, and as kids navigated tough situations at home, isolation, more screen time and school closures, misbehavior got worse.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

It’s foolish to think Turkish misbehavior would be limited to these countries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

The Gateway Pundit The Gateway Pundit often makes lazy mistakes: It once falsely accused a Washington Post editor of misbehavior during a confirmation hearing when that reporter wasn’t at that hearing.

From Slate • Oct. 24, 2025

Now, she gathers evidence when her fellow officers are accused of misbehavior.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2025

For certain types of misbehavior, social incentives are terribly powerful.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Related Words

• immorality
• impropriety
• insubordination
• misconduct
• misdeed
• transgression
• wrongdoing