Words / M / Law

misdemeanour

noun/ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə/

B2CEFR level
45/100Rarity: uncommon
TechnicalRegister

A less serious criminal offence, ranking below a felony and usually carrying a lighter penalty.

The charge was treated as a mere misdemeanour attracting only a fine.

Topic: Criminal law in Legal English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More law words: Criminal law