misbehave

[mis-bi-heyv] / ˌmɪs bɪˈheɪv /

VERB

act in inappropriate manner

Synonyms

STRONGEST

act up fool around trespass

STRONG

deviate fail misconduct offend roughhouse sin transgress

WEAK

be at fault be bad be dissolute be guilty be immoral be indecorous be insubordinate be mischievous be out of line be out of order be reprehensible bend the law carry on cut up do evil do wrong get into mischief go astray go wrong make trouble sow wild oats take a wrong turn

Antonyms

STRONG

behave obey

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Plans to allow Senedd members who misbehave to lose their seats through a "recall" ballot of constituents are also a part of the bill, which will face its first vote on Tuesday.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

Prodigy City is located in what was formerly Thailand, where the series was filmed, giving every character, human and otherwise, plenty of space to hide and misbehave.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025

Even amoral or timorous lawyers will hesitate to misbehave if it becomes clear that doing so endangers their livelihood.

From Slate • Mar. 17, 2025

And when large language models do misbehave or go off the rails, nobody can really explain why.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

Will she kick me out and leave me in the street if I misbehave?

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Vocabulary lists containing misbehave

List 5

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mis-

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-

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