Misbehaving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Acting in a manner that is inappropriate or contrary to accepted behavior standards
2. Demonstrating conduct that falls outside the boundaries of expected social norms and etiquette
3. Engaging in actions that violate accepted rules or customs

Etymology: "Misbehaving" is simply the present participle of "misbehave," so its story is really the story of the verb. "Misbehave" is formed in English from "mis-," a prefix meaning "badly" or "wrongly," attached to "behave." The verb was built from existing parts of the language rather than borrowed, and the "-ing" ending is the ordinary suffix that turns a verb into its participle or gerund form, which is why the word can be read either as a description of someone currently acting badly or as a noun for the act itself. The root "behave" is the older element, and its own history is more layered: it combines "be-," an intensifying prefix, with the older "have" in the sense of "to conduct oneself" or "to hold oneself." So a person who behaves is literally one who holds or manages himself in a certain way. Adding "mis-" reverses the evaluation, turning a neutral manner of conducting oneself into a faulty one.

Synonyms: misconducting, misdeeding, malfeasing, acting up, trespassing

Antonyms: behaving, conducting, obedient, following, complying