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

Surgery followed, but the operation revealed a litany of maladies that had damaged the dog’s internal organs. —John Blake, CNN Money, 8 June 2025

In the past, the public has gained insight into important medical conditions from the unfortunate maladies affecting the first families. —Daniel J. Stone, Twin Cities, 4 June 2025

The closure came just weeks before a radar outage that precipitated a staffing shortage — a trifecta of maladies that lead to a May meltdown for New Jersey travelers. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 June 2025

And many of us older guys have enlarged prostates — a not-so-lovely older man malady that can cause frequent nighttime bathroom visits. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2025

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