as in friction
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Recent Examples of maladaptation
Experts call this phenomenon maladaptation.
—
Stephen Robert Miller, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2022
This maladaptation to lack of hip stability causes the knee to be unnaturally pinched between the upper leg and lower leg, precipitating damage and pain.
—Matt Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 20 Sep. 2018
Stephen Robert Miller, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2022
This maladaptation to lack of hip stability causes the knee to be unnaturally pinched between the upper leg and lower leg, precipitating damage and pain.
—Matt Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 20 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maladaptation
Noun
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For the vast majority of learners, the most pressing questions are whether tuition is affordable, childcare is available, credits transfer without friction, and programs lead to real employment opportunities.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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In Seasons 2 and 3, Eleven and Hopper experience some friction due to Hopper’s overprotective concern for Eleven’s safety; by Season 4, the characters operate in totally separate storylines and don’t share a scene until the last minutes of the season finale.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The sport of off-roading suffers from a fundamental discordance: The desire to get out into nature and the irreparable harm inherent in the process of off-roading.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
25 July 2025
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Many of the tunes including sprawling intros and jam sessions, all melded together with discordance, reverb and instrumental solos.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
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But when her latest husband, discord spirit Raksh, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina must clean up his blunder, contend with Marjana’s demands for the truth…and figure out who on her crew is plotting a mutiny.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
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Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet framed the discord as a healthy debate about the future of the movement, an uncomfortable but necessary process of finding consensus.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Fortune,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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So, what might those moments suggest for today’s era of disunity and discord?—
Cardinal Blase Cupich,
Mercury News,
27 Nov. 2025
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Republicans say the Democratic disunity underscores the clear margin by which the GOP won the shutdown.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In another example of the cultural diversity found in his work, his Revolutionary War paintings make a point of including Black regiments when applicable.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
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Here’s my short list of the best diversity stories of the past year published in The Star.—
Mara Williams,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After more than a century of plunder and strife, under tyrants as diverse as King Leopold II of Belgium and Mobutu Sese Seko, the present-day DRC still occupies the dark heart of the continent in much of the world’s imagination.—
Holden Frith,
TheWeek,
9 Jan. 2026
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Located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the world’s poorest nations and has been beset by chronic strife and insecurity exacerbated by multiple natural disasters, including severe droughts, for decades.—
Omar Faruk,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That disparity is especially difficult in the face of the recent government shutdown and subsequent delay of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly known as food stamps.—
James Factora,
Them.,
7 Nov. 2025
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Wilson is especially mindful of the disparity of campaign funding for and against Proposition 50.—
Debra J. Saunders,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy’s promise to minimize federal involvement in enforcing constitutional rights is in stark contrast to Trump’s vow to employ troops in response to purported high crime in multiple major cities, a claim those cities’ leaders have disputed.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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Newer machines, by contrast, often use payout systems that tie claw strength to how much money has been fed into the game, meaning the claw only reaches full strength after the operator’s preset threshold is met.—
Anna Rahmanan,
thehustle.co,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Maladaptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maladaptation. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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