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 HeraldExamples of misbehavior in a Sentence
would not tolerate any misbehavior from her students
Recent Examples on the Web
Illinois legislators on Wednesday passed a law to explicitly prevent police from ticketing and fining students for minor misbehavior at school, ending a practice that harmed students across the state.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 28 May 2025
Schools can reject a student for lots of reasons, including poor grades or a previous record of misbehavior.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 23 May 2025
Alpha lives alone with her unnamed mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor who works at a nearby hospital as well as out of an office in their apartment and who is increasingly exasperated by her daughter’s budding teenager misbehavior.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Giving them enough exercise and mental stimulation can help prevent misbehavior.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehavior
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Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 28 May 2025
Schools can reject a student for lots of reasons, including poor grades or a previous record of misbehavior.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 23 May 2025
Alpha lives alone with her unnamed mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor who works at a nearby hospital as well as out of an office in their apartment and who is increasingly exasperated by her daughter’s budding teenager misbehavior.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 21 May 2025
Giving them enough exercise and mental stimulation can help prevent misbehavior.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for misbehavior
Cite this Entry
“Misbehavior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehavior. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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