WordValemisdemeanor
a minor criminal offense with lighter punishment
In more detail
1. (noun) a crime that is less serious than a felony, punished by a fine or short jail time
2. (noun) a minor wrongdoing or misbehavior
Examples
- 1. He was charged with a misdemeanor for shoplifting.
- 2. Being late to class was considered a misdemeanor at the strict school.
How to use misdemeanor
Misdemeanor is used primarily in legal contexts to describe crimes less serious than felonies, typically punished by fines or jail sentences under one year. It can also refer informally to minor misbehavior or a trivial wrongdoing in everyday speech, though this usage is less common in American English than British English.
Common phrases
- petty misdemeanor
- charged with a misdemeanor
- convicted of a misdemeanor
- misdemeanor conviction
- criminal misdemeanor
Synonyms
infraction · minor offense · violation · transgression · misdeed
Opposites
felony
Word family
misdemeanor (noun)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse misdemeanor with felony as opposing categories, but they differ in severity; also, the informal sense of 'minor misbehavior' may be underused since the word is strongly associated with its legal meaning.
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