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 of malady

• disease
• ailment
• illness
• ill
• fever

Examples of malady in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Since being diagnosed with a number of maladies over the years, including hypothyroidism, leaky gut and a gluten intolerance, McCarthy has been on a quest to put better things not only in her body but on her body. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026

Gui Santos shines Payton missed the game with a left ankle sprain, a malady that Kerr hopes will not linger for more than a night. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

Relying on medications as front-line, first-choice solutions for today’s major maladies ignores two alternative approaches that may more effectively address our most common conditions. —Thomas Goetz, STAT, 8 Jan. 2026

To paraphrase Tolstoy, all stable liberal democracies have a family resemblance; all failing dictatorships have maladies of their own. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026

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