misbehavior
noun
mis·be·hav·ior
ˌmis-bi-ˈhā-vyər 
-bē-
plural misbehaviors
1
: bad, improper, or rude behavior : ill conduct
scolded the children for their misbehavior
2
US military law
: any conduct by a member of the armed forces before or in the presence of the enemy that does not conform to military standards or practice for such a situation
… is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.—
The Boston Herald
The Boston Herald
Examples of misbehavior in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Make the witness ‘unavailable’ The defense attorneys said Rundle tacitly endorses misbehavior by offering no consequences for it.
—Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
As school districts search for ways to cope with the increase in student misbehavior that followed the pandemic, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s experience offers insight into whether banning such suspensions is effective and under what conditions.
—Gail Cornwall, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Instead, Fey rewards misbehavior, possibly setting the stage for the next generation of Hillary Clintons, Nancy Pelosis, Liz Cheneys, Lori Lightfoots, Letitia Jameses, Nimarata Haleys, and Taylor Swifts.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Jan. 2024
For students with disabilities, broad and subjective categories of misbehavior justify removing students from school hundreds of thousands of times a year, a sign their federal protection is failing.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Japan’s entertainment industry has long been known for looking away from or covering up incidents of misbehavior.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The notice cited a preliminary ruling by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which recently got a new chief, Wu Qing, an industry veteran with a reputation for being tough on market misbehavior.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Under the bill, each district’s policy would need to include certain elements, including:
Student and parental behavior standards and a discipline structure of increasing consequences for bus misbehavior.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024
To do so, officials are spelling out how a series of measures will mean harsh consequences for misbehavior — and discomfort even for those who simply want to have a good time.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
As school districts search for ways to cope with the increase in student misbehavior that followed the pandemic, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s experience offers insight into whether banning such suspensions is effective and under what conditions.
—Gail Cornwall, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Instead, Fey rewards misbehavior, possibly setting the stage for the next generation of Hillary Clintons, Nancy Pelosis, Liz Cheneys, Lori Lightfoots, Letitia Jameses, Nimarata Haleys, and Taylor Swifts.
—Armond White, National Review, 17 Jan. 2024
For students with disabilities, broad and subjective categories of misbehavior justify removing students from school hundreds of thousands of times a year, a sign their federal protection is failing.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Japan’s entertainment industry has long been known for looking away from or covering up incidents of misbehavior.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024
The notice cited a preliminary ruling by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, which recently got a new chief, Wu Qing, an industry veteran with a reputation for being tough on market misbehavior.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Under the bill, each district’s policy would need to include certain elements, including:
Student and parental behavior standards and a discipline structure of increasing consequences for bus misbehavior.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024
To do so, officials are spelling out how a series of measures will mean harsh consequences for misbehavior — and discomfort even for those who simply want to have a good time.
—Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misbehavior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near misbehavior
Cite this Entry
“Misbehavior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehavior. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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