wrongdoing

noun

ˈrȯŋ-ˌdü-iŋ How to pronounce wrongdoing (audio)
Definition of wrongdoingnext
1
as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code a local newspaper exposed the contractor's elaborate attempts to cover up his wrongdoings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misconduct
improper or illegal behavior the police officer was found to be completely innocent of any wrongdoing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wrongdoing All of them have denied any wrongdoing, and the Tompkins County district attorney declined to prosecute in 2024. — Sharon Otterman, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 Sánchez, while a popular progressive leader internationally, has been surrounded by a series of legal cases against his Socialist party and even his family, which all deny any wrongdoing. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026 Castro, who is running for a second term, has denied any wrongdoing in that matter and believes she will eventually be cleared. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 The Fair Political Practices Commission cleared Steyer of wrongdoing earlier this month. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wrongdoing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrongdoing
  1. crime
  2. misconduct
  3. violation
  4. sin
Noun
  • At that point, Jesse had been dead for a decade, and Frank had been tried for crimes three times—in Missouri, then Alabama, and back to Missouri again.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Police said the vandalism was classified as a property crime rather than a hate offense, and the teen was released to his parents.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of crime
Noun
  • Newsom signed a similar bill that prevents federal agents from becoming police in California if their federal badge was revoked for misconduct.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Eric Evans, a six-year employee of the police department, entered a guilty plea Wednesday for five misdemeanor charges of misconduct.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of misconduct
Noun
  • Several Japanese nationals, including executives at top Japanese firms, were reportedly detained in August over alleged violations of dual-use goods export restrictions.
    — Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Merz said Germany would take further steps to defend itself, including against Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers in the Baltic and North seas, airspace violations and drone attacks.
    — Susie Blann, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Now Trump’s folks are rounding up and deporting people who were jailed in their home country for the sin of defending democracy.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • De Biase explained how a snake is associated with Eve and the story of sin in the Bible — but the shoe reframes the connotation of the snake.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of sin

Browse Nearby Words

wrongdoers
wrongdoing
wrongdoings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrongdoing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrongdoing. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All