malum prohibitum

noun

An action that is not inherently evil, but is nevertheless illegal only because prohibited, as opposed to malum in se. A malum prohibitum offense is something that is wrong only because a statute makes it so, or by consensus that society agrees to prohibit the act, and is typically regulatory in nature and often result in no direct injury or danger to the person, entity, or property but only merely create the danger or probability of it which the statute attempts to minimize. Used to develop consensual crimes.

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Meanings

nounmalum prohibitum (plural mala prohibita)

plural mala prohibita

  1. lawAn action that is not inherently evil, but is nevertheless illegal only because prohibited, as opposed to malum in se. A malum prohibitum offense is something that is wrong only because a statute makes it so, or by consensus that society agrees to prohibit the act, and is typically regulatory in nature and often result in no direct injury or danger to the person, entity, or property but only merely create the danger or probability of it which the statute attempts to minimize. Used to develop consensual crimes.

Origin

From Latin directly. Literally translated as "wrong because prohibited", or "bad because against the law".

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Cite this entry
APA

malum prohibitum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malum%20prohibitum

MLA

“malum prohibitum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malum%20prohibitum. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “malum prohibitum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/malum%20prohibitum.

Source: malum prohibitum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.