Definition

1. Noun:
   • Improper, illegal, or negligent professional conduct: "Malpractice" refers to a failure to meet accepted standards of professional skill or care, often by someone in a position of trust, such as a doctor, lawyer, or accountant, which results in harm or injury.
   • A wrongful or illegal act, especially by a public official: It can also denote unethical, corrupt, or illegal conduct in a professional or official capacity.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor was sued for medical malpractice after the botched surgery.
  • The investigation uncovered widespread electoral malpractice, including voter intimidation.
  • Legal malpractice can occur if a lawyer fails to file important documents on time.

Advanced Usage

• "to be guilty of malpractice": to have committed professional wrongdoing.
  • The accountant was found guilty of malpractice for falsifying the company's financial records.
• "gross malpractice": extremely serious or blatant professional misconduct.
  • The court ruled that the engineer's gross malpractice directly led to the building's collapse.

Variants and Related Words

• Malpractitioner (n): A person who commits malpractice.
  • The disgraced surgeon was labeled a malpractitioner by the medical board.

Synonyms

• Professional misconduct: Unethical behavior by a professional.
• Negligence: Failure to take proper care, leading to damage or injury.
• Malfeasance: Wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

Related Phrases

• Medical malpractice: A specific type of professional negligence by a healthcare provider.
  • The hospital settled the medical malpractice case out of court.
• Legal malpractice: Professional negligence or breach of duty by a lawyer.
  • He filed a legal malpractice claim against his former attorney.

Related Idioms

• A clear case of malpractice: An obvious and undeniable instance of professional wrongdoing.
  • Leaving a surgical instrument inside a patient is a clear case of malpractice.

Noun

1. a wrongful act that the actor had no right to do; improper professional conduct
   • he charged them with electoral malpractices
2. professional wrongdoing that results in injury or damage
   • the widow sued his surgeon for malpractice