malpractice
- 01 C1 Advanced
when a doctor or nurse makes a serious mistake that hurts a patient.
the improper, illegal, or negligent professional activity or treatment by a medical practitioner.
Simple“The surgeon was sued for malpractice after he operated on the wrong leg.”
In context“The hospital faced a massive malpractice suit following allegations that the surgical team had ignored standard safety protocols during the procedure.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'medical malpractice'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
illegal or dishonest behavior by someone in a position of power, like a lawyer or official.
improper or unethical conduct by a professional or official person, often involving a breach of trust or duty.
Simple“The lawyer was accused of legal malpractice for losing his client's money.”
In context“The regulatory body investigated the firm for administrative malpractice after several million dollars went missing from the pension fund.”
Synonyms
“The latter suspicion has, it is a great relief to hear, been allayed by reviews of his work that found no evidence of malpractice.”
“For Arday, the accusations are potentially ruinous – plagiarism is as serious as it gets for academic malpractice and the professor has consistently claimed he has done nothing wrong.”
From mal- + practice.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.