as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code
the town treasurer has been linked to the kickback scheme and other financial malefactions
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Recent Examples of malefaction
And the principle remains that representing a malefactor isn’t, ipso facto, an act of malefaction.
—
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022
A pitch-framing specialist with rare agility behind the plate, Wolters must coax pitchers through Coors Field and its occasional malefactions.
—Orange County Register, 1 Apr. 2017
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022
A pitch-framing specialist with rare agility behind the plate, Wolters must coax pitchers through Coors Field and its occasional malefactions.
—Orange County Register, 1 Apr. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malefaction
Noun
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An Associated Press-NORC poll, conducted from January 9 to 13 among 1,147 adults, found that 83 percent of Americans support deporting migrants living in the U.S. illegally who have been convicted of a violent crime, while only 6 percent would oppose doing so.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
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But the government didn’t set them up to commit these crimes.—
David Peisner,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Since this was a probation violation, Einstein was sent back to jail.—
Keith Sharon,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
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The consequences for violations are not clearly spelled out, but the ban is broader and took effect sooner than the deadline under the California Phone-Free Schools Act.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The cityscape is comparable to Las Vegas, without the sin of course.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
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In Terror at the Gates, Lilith Leviathan, on the run from her powerful family, arrives in Ninevah, a district of Eden that’s known for its taste for sin.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malefaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malefaction. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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