malpractice

American  

[mal-prak-tis] / mælˈpræk tɪs /

noun

malpractices plural

1. Law. failure of a professional person, as a physician or lawyer, to render proper services through reprehensible ignorance or negligence or through criminal intent, especially when injury or loss follows.

2. any improper, negligent practice; misconduct or misuse.

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malpractice British  

/ ˌmælprækˈtɪʃənə, mælˈpræktɪs /

noun

1. immoral, illegal, or unethical professional conduct or neglect of professional duty

2. any instance of improper professional conduct

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malpractice Cultural  

1. Mistakes or negligent conduct by a professional person, especially a physician, that results in damage to others, such as misdiagnosis of a serious illness. Damaged parties often seek compensation by bringing malpractice suits against the offending physician or other professional.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• malpractitioner
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• malpractices
  plural

Etymology

Origin of malpractice

First recorded in 1665–75; mal- + practice

Explanation

If you needed your tonsils removed but your surgeon accidentally took out your appendix instead, you could sue her for malpractice, or mistreatment by a doctor that results in harm to the patient. There are many kinds of malpractice, but medical and legal — by a doctor or lawyer — are the most common. Any professional who injures a client or patient through negligence risks being accused of malpractice, and possibly taken to court. The prefix mal means "bad," from the Latin word malus, or "evil." Practice comes from the Modern Latin practicare, "to practice." If a doctor practices medicine badly enough that it hurts someone, that's malpractice.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

malpractice malpractices

UniCredit has previously rejected allegations of malpractice related to its attempted takeover of Commerzbank.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Delayed access to medication-assisted treatment happens frequently, one staff member said, adding that many of their colleagues are afraid of losing their medical licenses for malpractice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

The malpractice insurance was provided by Beazley, a business liability insurance provider.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

It said it continued to offer "heartfelt apologies" to those affected by malpractice at the home and said it was committed to full transparency in support of any police investigation.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

Analyses of malpractice lawsuits show that there are highly skilled doctors who get sued a lot and doctors who make lots of mistakes and never get sued.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

In October 2025, Seoul apologised for the first time for state-sanctioned malpractices, saying "unjust human rights violations" were committed.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

There was one rural hospital, the site of various malpractices.

From Salon ● May 3, 2022

“We found exactly the same malpractices in exactly the same districts in 2018 as we did the year before,” Klimek says.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 30, 2018

That said, there is no evidence that either of them were aware of the Libor malpractices or in any way encouraged them.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2013

Congress has published a proclamation for the more effectually suppressing and punishing such malpractices.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. I by Sparks, Jared

Related Words

• carelessness
• dereliction
• misbehavior
• misdeed
• mismanagement
• negligence
• transgression
• violation