misdemeanor

noun

mis·​de·​mean·​or ˌmis-di-ˈmē-nər 

1

: a crime less serious than a felony (see felony sense 1)

defacing school property is a misdemeanor

—Jessica Portner

2

: misdeed

Student misdemeanors will not go unpunished.

Did you know?

What is meant by 'crimes and misdemeanors'?

Misdemeanor comes from demeanor, which means “behavior toward others” or “outward manner” (as in “his quiet demeanor”), itself derived from the verb demean, which means “to conduct or behave (oneself) usually in a proper manner”—not to be confused with the other and much more common verb demean that means “to lower in character, status, or reputation” (as in “I won’t demean myself by working for so little money”). These two verbs are spelled the same way but come from different roots.

Therefore, misdemeanor literally means “bad behavior toward others.” This led to parallel usage as both general bad behavior and legal bad behavior. In American law, a misdemeanor is “a crime less serious than a felony.” A felony is defined as “a federal crime for which the punishment may be death or imprisonment for more than a year.” As misdemeanor became more specific, crime became the more general term for any legal offense.

The phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors,” found in Article Two, Section 4 of the Constitution, has been used in English law since the 14th century, as have other fixed phrases using synonymous terms, such as “rules and regulations” and “emoluments and salaries.” It can be very difficult to distinguish between any of these pairs of words, and their frequent use together renders them less technical in today’s highly specific legal vocabulary. “High crimes” are serious crimes committed by those with some office or rank, and was used in the language describing impeachment proceedings of members of the British Parliament in the 18th century.

Examples of misdemeanor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What else is going on Two people suspected of illegally recording a conversation between four Latino political leaders that sparked an uproar at City Hall will not face misdemeanor charges. —Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024

Specifically, Proposition 36 will reclassify several crimes back to felonies that were downgraded to misdemeanors by Proposition 47 in 2014. —Diane Dixon, Orange County Register, 15 Oct. 2024

Hatch also pleaded to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in a separate case. —Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Oct. 2024

The man was charged Monday in Waukesha Circuit Court with six criminal counts, including battery, disorderly conduct and victim intimidating, all misdemeanors with domestic violence modifiers, and two felony counts of resisting an officer (causing bodily harm). —Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

misdemeanor

noun

mis·​de·​mean·​or ˌmis-di-ˈmē-nər 

1

: a crime less serious than a felony

2

: misdeed

Legal Definition

misdemeanor

noun

mis·​de·​mean·​or ˌmis-di-ˈmē-nər 

: a crime that carries a less severe punishment than a felony

specifically : a crime punishable by a fine and by a term of imprisonment not to be served in a penitentiary and not to exceed one year compare felony