Malfeasance Meaning, Examples and Related Terms

Malfeasance (noun). wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by someone carrying out an official or responsible role.

Example: The fictional council launched an inquiry into allegations of malfeasance in its purchasing department.

Pronunciation guide: mal-FEE-zuhns. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Explore the usage · Try the three-question quiz · Keep learning

What does malfeasance mean?

Malfeasance is a formal word associated with wrongdoing in a position of responsibility. You may see it in reports about public officials, institutions or businesses. It is stronger than a neutral word such as mistake: a minor accidental typing error would not normally be described as malfeasance.

Public office is a common context, but the word is not restricted to government. “Corporate malfeasance” refers to wrongdoing in a business setting. The precise legal meaning depends on the context and jurisdiction.

Malfeasance in sentences

These are invented examples for language practice, not allegations about real people or organisations:

• The auditors were asked to investigate suspected malfeasance.
• The fictional official was accused of malfeasance in office.
• The report distinguished routine administrative errors from deliberate malfeasance.
• The company introduced independent checks to help prevent corporate malfeasance.

Alleged or suspected malfeasance signals that wrongdoing has not been established in the sentence. “Evidence of malfeasance” and “an allegation of malfeasance” do not make the same claim.

Malfeasance vs misfeasance vs nonfeasance

These formal terms are related, but they are not interchangeable:

• Malfeasance: wrongful or unlawful conduct in carrying out a role.
• Misfeasance: improper performance of an act that is itself lawful.
• Nonfeasance: failure to act when there is a duty to do so.

This is a vocabulary comparison, not a rule for deciding a legal case. Duties, facts and applicable law affect how the terms are used. See Cornell Law School’s explanations of malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance.

Common phrases and word origin

Useful combinations include allegations of malfeasance, evidence of malfeasance, malfeasance in office and corporate malfeasance. The noun is usually uncountable in ordinary use: “an instance of malfeasance” is clearer for one occurrence.

The word combines mal-, meaning bad, with an older word feasance, meaning doing or execution. This connection can help you remember its meaning without assuming every poor result amounts to misconduct.

Practise malfeasance: three quick questions

Try each question before opening its answer. If a question asks you to write a sentence, your own correct example is welcome.

Question 1

Which phrase reports suspicion rather than an established finding: “alleged malfeasance” or “proven malfeasance”?

Question 2

Which related term describes failing to act when a duty to act exists?

Question 3

Improve this wording: “The clerk made a harmless spelling error, so it was certainly malfeasance.”

Keep learning

Compare these words next: Pusillanimous meaning and practice and Wary meaning and practice.

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Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Malfeasance. The examples and practice questions on this page are written for English Skill Studio.