malady

noun

mal·​a·​dy ˈma-lə-dē 

plural maladies

1

: a disease or disorder of the animal body

told by his physicians that he had a fatal malady

—Willa Cather

2

: an unwholesome or disordered condition

poverty, homelessness, and other social maladies

Synonyms

• affection
• ail
• ailment
• bug
• complaint
• complication
• condition
• disease
• disorder
• distemper
• distemperature
• fever
• ill
• illness
• infirmity
• sickness
• trouble

Examples of malady in a Sentence

in the olden days people were always suffering from some unknown malady

Recent Examples on the Web

This disease is a deadly neurological malady that can spread among deer, elk, and moose populations though contact with saliva, blood, urine, or feces. —Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Dec. 2024

Beal also had a left calf injury; add that to the list of the maladies he’s suffered since the Suns obtained him in a trade with Washington prior to the 2022-23 season. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2024

Please be aware that AI isn’t a grand solution for overcoming this mind-blocking malady and is merely one of many options that ought to be pursued when confronting brain fog. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024

Gabi, a veteran with almost 40 pilgrimages under her belt, took a practical view of our pursuit of the divine, and sent two women to check us for any serious maladies. —Kayla Aletha Welch, Longreads, 19 Nov. 2024

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

Kids Definition

malady

noun

mal·​a·​dy ˈmal-əd-ē 

plural maladies

: a disease or disorder of the body or mind : ailment

Medical Definition

malady

noun

mal·​a·​dy ˈmal-əd-ē 

plural maladies

: disease, sickness

a fatal malady