Meaning & use
malfeasant
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Guilty of wrongdoing or misconduct, especially while holding public office or a position of trust.
Grammar: Usually predicative after 'be,' 'seem,' or 'find': 'the trustee was malfeasant.' Comparatives are very uncommon.
Patterns
- malfeasant official
- found malfeasant
- allegedly malfeasant
The audit described the director as malfeasant after funds disappeared from the pension account.
A court may remove a malfeasant trustee to protect the beneficiaries.
nouncountable
A person who commits wrongdoing, particularly misconduct in an official or trusted role.
Grammar: Countable: 'a malfeasant,' 'several malfeasants.' The everyday word is often 'wrongdoer' or 'corrupt official.'
Patterns
- a convicted malfeasant
- alleged malfeasant
- punish a malfeasant
The commission recommended fines for every malfeasant involved in the contract scandal.
Prosecutors argued that the malfeasant used public money to fund private travel.
Common combinations
- malfeasant trustee
- A malfeasant trustee can be forced to repay money taken from the estate.
- alleged malfeasant
- The report named no alleged malfeasant until the evidence was reviewed.
- malfeasant conduct
- The lawsuit centers on malfeasant conduct during the emergency procurement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- corrupt
- Corrupt emphasizes dishonesty, bribery, or abuse for gain; as a noun it is usually 'a corrupt official,' not 'a corrupt.'
- negligent
- Negligent means failing to take proper care and may be unintentional, while malfeasant suggests wrongdoing.
- crooked
- Crooked is informal for dishonest, unlike the rare legal register of malfeasant.
- unethical
- Unethical is broader moral disapproval and is an adjective, not a person.
Opposites
Word family
- malfeasance noun
- Wrongdoing or illegal conduct, especially by a public official.
- misfeasance noun
- Legal: a lawful act performed improperly or harmfully, distinct from intentional malfeasance.
- nonfeasance noun
- Legal: failure to act when action is required, such as neglecting an official duty.
Commonly confused: malfeasant or malfeasance? malfeasant or beneficent?
malfeasant vs malfeasance
Malfeasance is the misconduct itself; malfeasant can describe the guilty person or be used as an adjective.
malfeasant vs beneficent
Beneficent means doing good or kindly, not guilty of official wrongdoing.
Practice
Choose the word that correctly completes the grammar: The mayor was accused of being ___.
Choose one answer.
After 'being,' the sentence needs an adjective meaning guilty of misconduct; 'malfeasant' fits. 'Malfeasance' is the noun for the misconduct itself, while benefit and honesty do not match the accusation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “malfeasant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.