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

There’s another, similar malady sweeping across North America this summer. —Jayson Stark, New York Times, 11 July 2025

That phrase is used to describe the physical maladies that have kept him from pursuing an active musical life. —Chris Willman, Variety, 10 July 2025

The usual maladies that befall a loose heel are bad blisters as your heel rubs against the shoe. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025

The economic maladies that the coronavirus spawned weren’t all immediately visible at the outset of the outbreak in 2020. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 6 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