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 In real life, the Malaysian factory workers weren’t fully responsive to the Western treatments — like Valium — that their employers put forward, reacting more positively to the services of a shaman, who performed an exorcism to rid them of their maladies. Beatrice Loayza, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024 Growing up in a Leadville trailer park, Mundo watched his immigrant father treat the injuries and maladies of the largely low-income, uninsured and undocumented population in their community. Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2024 His malady takes root during a professional down period, and financial dread lurks in the background here, making each new physical issue that much more harrowing. Longreads, 5 Jan. 2024 Private equity has been thrust forward as a central malady plaguing a host of key industries. Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The two loan defaults for the prominent buildings suggest the post-coronavirus economic maladies that have afflicted the commercial property markets in the Bay Area have yet to run their course. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 That cure came not just by divine intervention, but likely also by skilled healers with knowledge of human anatomy and maladies and an understanding of the curative properties of the hot mineral water that still bubbles up all over the valley. Elizabeth Heath, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2024 That’s because severe post-coronavirus economic maladies have afflicted the Bay Area office market. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 Yet some of these chemical additives have been tied to maladies such as breast and prostate cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as problems with children’s brain development and adult fertility. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'malady.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near malady

Cite this Entry

“Malady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malady. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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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