misbehavior
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of misbehavior
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No one suggests Renton’s misbehavior is even partly attributable to poverty, abuse, neglect or any kind of systemic failure, nor is the judge who orders him to complete a rehab program a figure of fun.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
His misbehavior is minor — irritating but untenable when stacked together — like bouncing a ball against a wall, disappearing for fun or climbing on the roof.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
It’s 1983 in Galashiels, Scotland, and his involuntary movements and outbursts are seen as misbehavior, teenage rebellion, and treated in kind.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026
Tomer-Yerushalmi had previously warned against attempts to pressure military officials to avoid investigating allegations of misbehavior by soldiers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
Most knew that an officer wasn’t likely to fill out a misbehavior report over slowness to lock in, but they could never be sure.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
