misdeed
13 synonyms for misdeed, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A wrong or bad act, which could be anything from a small fault to a serious crime.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
peccadillo
delinquency
misbehaviour
malfeasance
misdoing
delict
villainy
tort
misdemeanor
misbehavior
Etymology
Comes from Middle English misdede, from Old English misdǣd (“misdeed”), from Proto-West Germanic *missadādi, from Proto-Germanic *missadēdiz (“misdeed”); equivalent to mis- + deed. It is cognate with Scots misded (“misdeed”), West Frisian misdied (“misdeed”), Dutch misdaad (“misdeed”), German Missetat (“misdeed”), Swed...
Full origin of misdeed →