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

• 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

First among these programs was USAID, which for a tiny slice of the federal budget accomplished a great deal to save lives, fighting disease around the world (in part to prevent maladies from reaching our shores) while projecting a very positive humanitarian image for the U.S. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025

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

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