malformed

adjective

mal·​formed ˌmal-ˈfȯrmd 

: characterized by malformation : badly or imperfectly formed : misshapen

Synonyms of malformed

• distorted
• monstrous
• deformed
• misshapen

Examples of malformed in a Sentence

a clay sculpture of an eagle that was so malformed that it looked more like a feathered football

Recent Examples on the Web

Anyone who has wired half a dozen community MCP servers into a production agent has watched malformed schemas, missing tool descriptions and overlapping tool names push the model into the wrong call. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély’s gaslamp wash makes the whole thing visually alluring, but the story up to this point is one of malformed double entendres, as Moulin and his cohorts react to more important plots unfolding elsewhere in the war. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 May 2026

But in people with CF, that protein creates a malformed channel or, in some cases, doesn’t make one at all. — Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026

The disruption of this process as we age is thought to contribute to the build-up of malformed proteins and the development of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s. — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for malformed

• misinformed
• outperformed
• undeformed
• uniformed
• uninformed
• unperformed
• unreformed
• untransformed
• conformed
• deformed
• informed
• performed

Kids Definition

malformed

adjective

mal·​formed (ˈ)mal-ˈfȯ(ə)rmd 

: marked by malformation : badly or imperfectly formed : misshapen

Medical Definition

malformed

adjective

mal·​formed (ˈ)mal-ˈfȯ(ə)rmd 

: characterized by malformation : badly or imperfectly formed

a malformed limb