misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
ˌmis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt 
1
: mismanagement especially of governmental or military responsibilities
2
: intentional wrongdoing
specifically
: deliberate violation of a law or standard especially by a government official : malfeasance
3
a
: improper behavior
b
: adultery
4
: a penalty (as in ice hockey) for improper behavior or abusive language (as toward an official)
Examples of misconduct in a Sentence
He was forced to defend himself against charges of sexual misconduct.
There have been reports of misconduct by several employees.
Recent Examples on the Web
And what’s played out recently—leaving dozens of people on administrative leave for months, in the absence of alleged misconduct and without a clear path toward resolution—is unheard of, a senior NIH official who has been on administrative leave since the spring told me.
—
Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
In a letter to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Jackson demanded that the department place Dever on its Brady list, which tracks officers whose credibility has been hit due to alleged misconduct.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Paxton’s history of misconduct is years in the making.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Paragon was linked to alleged misconduct in Europe after WhatsApp reported that Italian journalists and civil society members had been targeted with its technology.
—Vas Panagiotopoulos, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconduct
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Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025
In a letter to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Jackson demanded that the department place Dever on its Brady list, which tracks officers whose credibility has been hit due to alleged misconduct.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Paxton’s history of misconduct is years in the making.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Paragon was linked to alleged misconduct in Europe after WhatsApp reported that Italian journalists and civil society members had been targeted with its technology.
—Vas Panagiotopoulos, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconduct
Cite this Entry
“Misconduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misconduct. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
(ˈ)mis-ˈkän-(ˌ)dəkt
1
: bad management
2
: improper or unlawful behavior
Legal Definition
misconduct
noun
mis·con·duct
mis-ˈkän-dəkt
: intentional or wanton wrongful but usually not criminal behavior: as
a
: deliberate or wanton violation of standards of conduct by a government official
b
: wrongful behavior (as adultery) by a spouse that leads to the dissolution of the marriage
c
: an attorney's violation of the standards set for professional conduct
also
: an attorney's and especially a prosecutor's use of deceptive or reprehensible methods in presenting a case to a jury
d
: impermissible behavior by a juror (as communicating about the case with outsiders, witnesses, or others, reading or hearing news reports about the case, or independently introducing evidence to other jurors)
e
: an employee's deliberate or wanton disregard of an employer's interests or disregard or violation of the employer's standards or rules that is sufficient to justify a denial of unemployment compensation
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