Standard Lemma guide

misbehave

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH2 S B AH0 HH EY1 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: M IH2 S B IY0 HH EY1 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To act or behave in an inappropriate, improper, incorrect, or unexpected manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, reflexive

Examples

  • He doesn't mean to misbehave; he just doesn't know better.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

behave badly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The children misbehaved all morning

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misconduct, misdemean

Antonyms: behave

Broader terms: act, move

Narrower terms: fall from grace, act up, carry on

History

Etymology

From Middle English misbehaven, equivalent to mis- + behave.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: أَسَاءَ التَّصَرُّف (ʔasāʔa t-taṣarruf) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Bulgarian: държа се зле (dǎrža se zle) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Cherokee: ᎠᏍᎦᏅᎦ (asganvga) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 行為失當 /行为失当 (xíngwéi shīdàng) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Esperanto: miskonduti — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Finnish: käyttäytyä huonosti — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Finnish: käyttäytyä rumasti — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Finnish: riehua — act in an inappropriate manner
  • French: mal se conduire — act in an inappropriate manner
  • German: Fehlverhalten — act in an inappropriate manner
  • German: schlechtes Benehmen — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Greek: ατακτώ (ataktó) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Hindi: दुर्व्यवहार (durvyavhār) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Hindi: दुराचार (durācār) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Māori: haututū — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Māori: tīhoihoi — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Polish: być niegrzecznym — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Polish: źle się zachowywać — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Polish: łobuzować — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Polish: broić — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Polish: rojbrować — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Russian: плохо себя вести (ploxo sebja vesti) — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Sicilian: cumpurtàrisi mali — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Spanish: portarse mal — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Spanish: comportarse mal — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Spanish: extremarse la nota — act in an inappropriate manner
  • Spanish: guito — act in an inappropriate manner