impropriety
Breach of decorum
Impropriety is behavior or language that violates standards of propriety—what's considered appropriate or decent in a given context.
The word often appears in formal or institutional settings: financial impropriety, sexual impropriety, the appearance of impropriety.
An impropriety can also be a specific instance: minor improprieties in the application process.
The term suggests transgression of social or professional norms rather than outright illegality.
Violation of accepted standards
- breachBreaking of agreement
- faux pasSocial misstep or indiscretion
- gaffeClumsy social error
- solecismGrammatical or social blunder
tactlessness · discourtesy · disrespect · rudeness · incivility · bad form · poor taste · lapse
Dishonest abuse of power
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
- nepotismPreferring kin in hiring
extortion · collusion · malfeasance · misappropriation · kickback · self-dealing · cronyism · favoritism
Crude sexual indecency
- vulgarityOffensive coarseness in manner
- obscenityIndecent word or act
- crudenessLack of sophistication
- coarsenessRough or vulgar quality
bawdiness · ribaldry · raunchiness · smuttiness · profanity · licentiousness · lasciviousness · immodesty
Investigative journalism piece
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
- disgraceLoss of honor
infamy · notoriety · outrage · controversy · headlines · investigation · accusation · allegation
Violation of law or code
- violationBreaking of rules
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
- desecrationViolating something sacred
- blasphemyIrreverence toward the sacred
indecorum
Violation of accepted standards
solecism · tactlessness · discourtesy · disrespect · rudeness · incivility · bad form · poor taste · lapse · transgression
corruption
Dishonest abuse of power
- briberyCorrupt payment for influence
- embezzlementFraudulent taking of entrusted assets
- fraudIntentional criminal trickery
nepotism · extortion · collusion · malfeasance · misappropriation · kickback · self-dealing · cronyism · favoritism · exploitation
lewdness
Crude sexual indecency
coarseness · bawdiness · ribaldry · raunchiness · smuttiness · profanity · licentiousness · lasciviousness · immodesty · shamelessness
exposé
Investigative journalism piece
- cover-upHiding wrongdoing from public
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- resignationVoluntary relinquishment of position
disgrace · infamy · notoriety · outrage · controversy · headlines · investigation · accusation · allegation · revelation
transgression
Violation of law or code
- violationBreaking of rules
- sacrilegeViolation of the hallowed
- desecrationViolating something sacred
blasphemy · forbidden · unmentionable · off-limits · boundary crossing
- scandalscandal, infamy, disgrace, coverup, cover-up
- deviancedeviance, perversion, perversity, aberration, abnormality
- ethics violationsbribery, bribes, kickbacks, kickback, nepotism
- government ethicsethics board, ethics committee, ethics rules, ethics violation, ethics violations
- scandalsscandal, controversy, coverup, cover-up, disgrace
- gracelessnessclumsiness, awkwardness, boorishness, rudeness, vulgarity
improprietypropriety
Correctness of conduct
decorum · appropriateness · seemliness · properness · correctness