MALADAPTATION Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

maladaptation

noun

Definition of maladaptation

as in friction

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of maladaptation Our knack for accommodation increasingly looks like what evolutionary biologists call a maladaptation. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026 For years, maladaptation was given short shrift as research and policy prioritized mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. — 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

When there must be some interlude of friction or a character needs to be brought low, The Gilded Age’s preferred mechanism is a dinner, ideally a fancy one with a complicated guest list and a variety of logistical obstacles.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
All machines have their friction; and possibly this does enough good to counterbalance the evil.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of friction

Noun

And so my conversation with Noah centered on the idea of a space where there would be a discordance between what the physical space looked like and what was happening emotionally in that room.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Part of that discordance might be the fact that as a genre, rock has historically been difficult to define.

— Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2025

Definition of discordance

Noun

Once the wicker creation proves far more extraordinary, discord and jealousy upset the fisherwoman’s quiet village.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Dolan was right that distractions can trip up a team, sowing just enough discord among its players to derail their chances at another title, and cut short their fans' chances at another joyous summer.

— Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of discord

Noun

Most believe there could be solutions through civil dialog, there are answers in the middle, and there is destructive disunity at the fringes.

— Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
Whether that agreement will rapidly come to fruition on such a tight timeline is looking increasingly difficult – especially amid disunity among House and Senate Democrats.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026

Definition of disunity

Noun

The core elements—airy melodies, drug talk, copious ad-libs—are old hat, but frank tales of suburban ennui and romantic strife give the Minneapolis rapper’s latest album a refreshingly personal air.

— Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
There have been reports of internal strife at the London bureau at CBS News over the tone of its Middle East coverage since Bari Weiss, a strong supporter of Israel, took over as the network’s editor in chief last year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of strife

Noun

Route comparisons presented at the forum showed stark price disparities, including American’s $919 nonstop fare between CLT and Philadelphia versus $254 on Frontier, and a $1,041 fare from CLT to Miami on American versus $126 on Frontier.

— Chase Jordan October 30, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
Management wants a cap and a floor that would cut down disparity in payrolls along with restricting a player to at most 15% of his team's payroll.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of disparity

Noun

By contrast, Alzheimer’s disease typically is associated with memory and language loss, and is more associated with apathy and depression than with anxiety.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
In stark contrast to the organic, pictorial design of the Nativity Façade on the opposite side of the basilica, which depicts the birth of Jesus, Gaudí employed skeletal forms to evoke human suffering and Christ’s final days.

— Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of contrast

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making way

maladaptation

maladies

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“Maladaptation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maladaptation. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of maladaptation

noun

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