misdemeanor C2 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives Also spelled misdemeanour US /ˌmɪsdəˈmiːnɝ/ UK /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual Freq #19478 Meanings 1 noun A minor crime that is punished less severely than a serious one. Shoplifting a small item is usually treated as a misdemeanor. 2 noun An act of bad behaviour or wrongdoing. The students were scolded for their minor misdemeanors. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a minor crime that is... petty crimeviolation 2 noun · an act of bad behaviour or... misdeedoffense Word family Forms misdemeanorsmisdemeanours Derived forms misdemeanantmisdemeanistmisdemeanorizemisdemeanorous Etymology AI details From mis- + demeanor. Topics Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # misdemeanor **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˌmɪsdəˈmiːnɝ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/ **Frequency rank:** 19478 ## Meanings 1. A minor crime that is punished less severely than a serious one. 2. An act of bad behaviour or wrongdoing. ## Examples - Shoplifting a small item is usually treated as a misdemeanor. - The students were scolded for their minor misdemeanors. ## Derived Forms - misdemeanant - misdemeanist - misdemeanorize - misdemeanorous ## Etymology From mis- + demeanor. ## AI Etymology Misdemeanor is from mis- + demeanor. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include a minor crime that is punished less severely than a serious one and an act of bad behaviour or wrongdoing. The wider family includes derived forms such as misdemeanant, misdemeanist, misdemeanorize, and misdemeanorous. ## Topics - Word Formation & Derivatives - General Vocabulary markdown