misbehave
B2neutral (can be used in formal and informal contexts, but is more common in everyday and descriptive language)
Definition
Meaning
to fail to behave properly or acceptably; to act in a way that is not good, acceptable, or polite.
Can refer to both human and non-human subjects (e.g., a misbehaving child, a misbehaving computer program). In a technical or scientific context, it can refer to a system or component failing to function as expected.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term strongly implies a violation of an expected or established standard of behavior, whether social, technical, or functional. It often carries a connotation of blameworthiness or fault.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. Slight preference in British English for 'behave badly' as a more common alternative in casual speech.
Connotations
In both varieties, the word is often used by authority figures (parents, teachers) towards children, which can make it sound slightly patronizing if used between adults.
Frequency
Equally common in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
intransitive (He misbehaved.)transitive with reflexive pronoun (He misbehaved himself.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to be on one's best behaviour (the opposite state)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Could be used metaphorically: 'The market has been misbehaving this quarter.'
Academic
Used in social sciences (psychology, education) to describe non-normative behaviour. In computing: 'a misbehaving algorithm'.
Everyday
Most common context: referring to children's poor behaviour.
Technical
Used in engineering and computing to describe a component or process failing to operate within specified parameters.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The pupils were told they would be punished if they continued to misbehave.
- His software began to misbehave after the latest update.
American English
- The kids misbehave every time they have a substitute teacher.
- If the mechanism misbehaves, shut down the system immediately.
adverb
British English
- Rarely used. 'He acted misbehavingly' is non-standard.
American English
- Rarely used. 'He acted misbehavingly' is non-standard.
adjective
British English
- A misbehaving child can disrupt the entire class.
- We isolated the misbehaving module for testing.
American English
- The misbehaving student was sent to the principal's office.
- The technician fixed the misbehaving valve.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The child must not misbehave in the shop.
- The dog misbehaves when we are not home.
- Some students misbehave to get attention from their peers.
- The application started to misbehave after I installed the new plugin.
- Despite repeated warnings, the ambassador's son continued to misbehave publicly, causing a minor diplomatic incident.
- The experiment failed because one of the sensors was misbehaving.
- The theory posits that individuals are more likely to misbehave in environments where social norms are perceived as weak or unenforced.
- Debugging the issue was challenging because the network packet analyser itself began to misbehave under heavy load.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'MIS-taken BEHAViour' = wrong behaviour.
Conceptual Metaphor
BEHAVIOUR IS A PERFORMANCE (to behave/misbehave). SOCIETY IS A STAGE.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation from Russian 'плохо себя вести' where 'плохо' might imply 'ill' or 'sick'. 'Misbehave' is about conduct, not health.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a transitive verb without a reflexive pronoun (incorrect: 'He misbehaved the dog.' correct: 'The dog misbehaved.' or 'He made the dog misbehave.')
- Confusing with 'misconduct' (which is usually a noun).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the use of 'misbehave' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while most commonly used for children, it can be applied to adults (often humorously or critically) and to machines, software, or systems.
'Misbehave' is a single, slightly more formal lexical verb. 'Behave badly' is a phrasal construction and is more common in everyday British English. They are largely interchangeable.
Rarely. It almost always carries a negative judgment. To describe positive rule-breaking (e.g., creative thinking), words like 'innovate' or 'challenge conventions' are used.
The direct noun is 'misbehaviour' (UK) / 'misbehavior' (US). 'Misconduct' is a more formal synonym often used in professional or legal contexts.