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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

Malfeasance

Noun

IPA /ˌmælˈfiːzəns/

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Meaning in plain English

Wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a public official or person in authority.

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Pronunciation

Malfeasance/ˌmælˈfiːzəns/

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  1. Someone holds public office

  2. They misuse public money

Malfeasance is wrongdoing by someone in a position of authority.

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  1. The mayor was removed from office after allegations of financial malfeasance surfaced.
  2. The auditors investigated possible malfeasance involving the company's accounts.

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The mayor was removed from office after allegations of financial ________ surfaced.
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Malfeasance — Wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a public official or person in authority.

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Wrongdoing or misconduct, especially by a public official or person in authority.

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Word origin

Formed from mal-, meaning bad, and the old word feasance, meaning doing or carrying out an act. Feasance came through French from Latin facere, meaning to do.

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Malfeasance is often used in legal, political, or corporate contexts where the wrongdoing involves abuse of power or betrayal of public trust.

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Malfeasance

/ˌmælˈfiːzəns/ (Noun)

“A formal, uncountable legal term, especially associated with North American English. It describes serious wrongdoing by officials or organisations.”

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