malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance ˌmal-ˈfē-zᵊn(t)s 

: wrongdoing or misconduct especially by a public official

The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.

Synonyms

• misbehavior
• misconduct
• misdoing
• wrongdoing

Examples of malfeasance in a Sentence

The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.

a campaign to impeach the governor for malfeasance in office

Recent Examples on the Web

By the time of Crye’s March 2023 visit, Lindell was already in hot water for his false claims of election malfeasance — he’d been kicked off Twitter, had his cell phone seized by the FBI, and was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 Commission. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 25 June 2024

The nation's highest court has agreed to take a closer look at a corporate malfeasance lawsuit stemming from a whistleblower's claim Wisconsin Bell, Inc. for years overcharged schools and libraries under a $4.5 billion federal telecommunications program. —Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 18 June 2024

In the weeks after Trump’s defeat, Ellis joined then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani in presenting baseless claims of widespread malfeasance in states lost by Trump. —Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Washington Post, 18 June 2024

New York state attorneys general such as Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo also have combatted corporate malfeasance, building a brand that vaulted them to the governorship. —Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

mal- + obsolete feasance doing, execution

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance (ˈ)mal-ˈfēz-ᵊn(t)s 

: wrongful conduct especially by a public official

Legal Definition

malfeasance

noun

mal·​fea·​sance ˌmal-ˈfēz-ᵊns 

: the commission (as by a public official) of a wrongful or unlawful act involving or affecting the performance of one's duties compare misfeasance, nonfeasance

Etymology

mal- bad + obsolete English feasance doing, execution, from Old French faisance, from fais-, stem of faire to make, do, from Latin facere