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 Soon, doctors began trying it as a remedy for angina, hypertension and other cardiovascular maladies. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023 Prescott can play quickly and efficiently, and perhaps his 2022 spate of turnovers was a malady stemming from attempting to do too much. Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2023 The facility is a critical delivery point for ambulances transporting patients suffering strokes and other time-critical maladies. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Sep. 2023 The Kenyan experimental musician’s new album Feeling Body charts her own experience of long COVID, a disease that some sufferers have struggled to convince medical professionals is a legitimate malady with tangible symptoms. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 22 Aug. 2023 That represented a five-month delay in progression - dismissed as negligible by some but hailed as a milestone by others for a malady that has been largely untreatable. Laurie McGinley, Anchorage Daily News, 4 July 2023 Substandard housing led to the bite, and the instinct to remedy maladies at home because of inadequate access to dignified health care delayed Corem from seeing a doctor until the following day. Julia Craven, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2023 Darby, 29, has his own long list of maladies, however. Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 17 Aug. 2023 Julie Garwood, a romance novelist whose books — some set centuries ago, some sampling present-day maladies like computer hacking and Ponzi schemes — routinely landed on best-seller lists, died on June 8 at her home in Leawood, Kan., on the Missouri border. Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 21 June 2023 See More

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 29 Sep. 2023.

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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