maladjusted

adjective

mal·​ad·​just·​ed ˌma-lə-ˈjə-stəd 

: poorly or inadequately adjusted

specifically : lacking harmony with one's environment from failure to adjust one's desires to the conditions of one's life

Examples of maladjusted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Winton, the class clown and semi-pariah who fits the stereotype of the clingy, maladjusted product of a broken home. — Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026

An elderly man, adjusting to the recent death of his beloved wife, meets a brilliant yet maladjusted teenager in a cemetery. — The Know, Denver Post, 7 Dec. 2025

So what lies ahead for the most maladjusted characters in the entire TGIT lineup? — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2019

Life without either, the pair determine, has left Leonora morose, maladjusted and desperate to claw her way back to the road not taken. — Literary Hub, 9 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for maladjusted

• readjusted
• unadjusted
• adjusted
• combusted
• disgusted
• distrusted
• encrusted
• entrusted
• incrusted
• intrusted
• mistrusted
• busted

Kids Definition

maladjusted

adjective

mal·​ad·​just·​ed ˌmal-ə-ˈjəs-təd 

: not well adjusted especially to one's environment

socially maladjusted persons