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
Wynn has consistently denied any allegations of misconduct.
—
Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2025
Scientists must do their part to preserve and defend the scientific enterprise by doing better science, fixing the perverse incentives that encourage misconduct and making greater efforts to educate the public about how science works.
—Ferric C. Fang, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025
In the history of Congress, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and just eight were removed from office for various acts of misconduct.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Grayson had been discharged from the Army for serious misconduct and had a pattern of misconduct at six police departments in the state.
—Cristine Soto Deberry, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for misconduct
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2025
Scientists must do their part to preserve and defend the scientific enterprise by doing better science, fixing the perverse incentives that encourage misconduct and making greater efforts to educate the public about how science works.
—Ferric C. Fang, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2025
In the history of Congress, only 15 federal judges have been impeached, and just eight were removed from office for various acts of misconduct.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Grayson had been discharged from the Army for serious misconduct and had a pattern of misconduct at six police departments in the state.
—Cristine Soto Deberry, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share