MISBEHAVE Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

misbehave

verb

ˌmis-bi-ˈhāv

Definition of misbehave

as in to disobey

to behave badly scolded the children for misbehaving and sent them to bed early

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 misbehave Husbands should have dominion over misbehaving wives’ weight, spending habits, and choice of television programs. — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026 Much is made of our heroes’ fear of the Manor, an on-site memory-care facility to which misbehaving residents are sometimes sent. — Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026 Uber, in a court filing seeking to have Grimes thrown off the case, said the San Francisco attorney had also misbehaved earlier. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 8 May 2026 Alienating allies When troubles mounted earlier this year, Neugebauer began to misbehave in public. — Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misbehave

Recent Examples of Synonyms for misbehave

Verb

Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
In 2024, the agency claimed that X security staff sometimes had to pointedly disobey Musk in order to remain in compliance.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 4 June 2026

Definition of disobey

Browse Nearby Words

misbegotten

misbehave

misbehaved

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Misbehave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misbehave. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of misbehave

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on misbehave

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perfunctory

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes