wrongdoings

noun

plural of wrongdoing
1
as in crimes
a breaking of a moral or legal code a local newspaper exposed the contractor's elaborate attempts to cover up his wrongdoings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misconducts
improper or illegal behavior the police officer was found to be completely innocent of any wrongdoing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 wrongdoings Kelli, the ultimate foot soldier, deflects from Shamea’s wrongdoings by bringing up Angela’s accusation in Scotland that Shamea slept with George, whose wife, Ashley, is conveniently sitting next to them at the party. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 27 July 2026 In addition to families reflecting on their experiences as patients, numerous NUH staff members detailed wrongdoings by the healthcare system. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 But despite Clark’s wrongdoings on and off the course, the decorum of being a golf patron, especially at a major championship, is paramount. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026 Their alleged wrongdoings went beyond the Wang Fuk Court. — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026 In today’s reality TV climate, however, scandals, wrongdoings, and grievances—and how these stars choose to address them—have the power to reverberate much farther, thanks to social media and their various fandoms. — Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 29 May 2026 This begins by identifying the circumstances that could open the door to such wrongdoings. — Meily Perez, Miami Herald, 22 May 2026 Then again, patriarchy, however hidden, seems to still rule the day in other places too, even in more progressive corners of the world where women often pay a price or are asked to apologize for male wrongdoings. — Tomris Laffly, Variety, 20 May 2026 At the murder trial, prosecutors argued Alex Murdaugh, who comes from a legacy of prominent attorneys in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, killed his wife and son to gain sympathy and distract from his financial wrongdoings. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wrongdoings
  1. crimes
  2. misconducts
  3. violations
  4. sins
  5. misdeeds
Noun
  • Bryan DiGirolamo, special agent in charge of ATF New York, told CNN the more guns are traced, the more crimes between the US and Canada can be linked, ultimately exposing trafficking rings.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • South Africa has disputed the numbers, saying some of those deaths were connected to crimes like robberies and not migration protests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of crimes
Noun
  • The game featured several scrums after the whistle, a spirited fight between Montreal’s Josh Anderson and Tampa Bay’s Declan Carlile, and seven 10-minute misconducts — culminating in 126 penalty minutes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The chaotic matchup saw referees call 65 penalties for 312 minutes, including 13 game misconducts.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Definition of misconducts
Noun
  • So far, Lineage has received nine violations related to the smell.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Stockton, California, now uses AI to scan for code violations proactively and rank them for inspectors; its pilot surfaced 4,000 violations in five days.
    — Tom Dowling, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • Seven of our contributors gamely shared (some of) their secret sins.
    — Sabrina Jaszi, The Dial, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Among Ashley’s many sins, none were more wicked than the alienation of club legends, particularly Keegan.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of sins
Noun
  • Combs’ misdeeds took center stage in late 2023, when R&B artist and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura accused him of rape and myriad forms of abuse in a bombshell lawsuit, which the two settled the following day.
    — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The editorial process is, of course, set up to root out any misdeeds.
    — Sabrina Jaszi, The Dial, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of misdeeds

Browse Nearby Words

wrongdoing
wrongdoings
wronged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wrongdoings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wrongdoings. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on wrongdoings

Nglish: Translation of wrongdoings for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gnomic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All