malady

noun

mal·​a·​dy ˈma-lə-dē How to pronounce malady (audio)
plural maladies
1
: a disease or disorder of the animal body
told by his physicians that he had a fatal maladyWilla Cather
2
: an unwholesome or disordered condition
poverty, homelessness, and other social maladies

Examples of malady in a Sentence

in the olden days people were always suffering from some unknown malady
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Other disconcerting maladies included non-operable windshield wipers and a flickering water-temperature gauge. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 1 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, the outside world has no means to poke into the AI to ferret out those maladies. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 This risk is hardly worth it, considering the thin evidence for misinformation’s role in our contemporary maladies. Jacob Hale Russell, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025 Many online blamed Bishop, who’d long preached that nearly any malady could be healed naturally, without pharmaceuticals. David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for malady

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maladie, from Anglo-French, from malade sick, from Latin male habitus in bad condition

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of malady was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malady. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

malady

noun
mal·​a·​dy ˈmal-əd-ē How to pronounce malady (audio)
plural maladies
: a disease or disorder of the body or mind : ailment

Medical Definition

malady

noun
mal·​a·​dy ˈmal-əd-ē How to pronounce malady (audio)
plural maladies
: disease, sickness
a fatal malady

More from Merriam-Webster on malady

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