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

Haberman and Swan make clear the dimensions of his malady. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 June 2026

Proust apologises for his late arrival, ascribing it to malady, before going into the symptoms in some detail. — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list. — ABC News, 30 June 2026

Simmons also argued that medical tests would show that Chen’s maladies are not consistent with drinking Drano, but are more likely from acid reflux. — City News Service, Oc Register, 29 May 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