vocab for the week 14

What is the difference between ‘misdemeanour’ and ‘misbehaviour’?


First, let’s deal with the pronunciation of ‘misdemeanour’. The first syllable sounds like the word ‘miss’, and the ‘e’ is like the ‘i’ in ‘bit’, ‘hit’, and ‘sit’. The following syllable is pronounced like the word ‘mean’, and the final ‘our’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The word is pronounced ‘mis-di-MEAN-e with the stress on the third syllable. Both ‘misdemeanour’ and ‘misbehaviour’ can be used to mean ‘bad unacceptable behaviour’; an act which breaks a rule. Of the two, misdemeanour is considered to be formal.

*The young bride wasn’t aware of her husband’s past misdemeanours.

Misdemeanour is also used in the context of law. When you commit a ‘misdemeanour’, you are breaking the law; you are committing a crime which is not very serious. Since the offence is minor, the penalty is usually a fine; sometimes, the person is put in prison for a very short period of time. Petty theft, simple assault, trespass, etc are all examples of misdemeanours. A ‘felony’ is a serious crime.