Is a inchoate offense more severe than a misdemeanor?

No, the two terms are not synonymous with one another. Inchoate refers to a crime which had not yet come to fruition or been committed - whether it may have been a misdemeanor or a felony.

See: INCHOATE: adj. or adv. referring to something which has begun but has not been completed, either an activity or some object which is incomplete. It may define a potential crime like a conspiracy which has been started but not perfected or finished, (buying the explosives, but not yet blowing up the bank safe), a right contingent on an event (receiving property if one outlives the grantor of the property), or a decision or idea which has been only partially considered, such as a contract which has not been formalized.

Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Right reserved.