MALADAPTATION Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

maladaptation

noun

Definition of maladaptation

as in friction

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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

Washington, for its part, is creating friction in many of its partnerships instead of deepening them, and risks squandering its network just as its adversaries are learning to make more of theirs.

— Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
If deleting your account takes an email to support, a waiting period and a follow-up, that friction is a design choice.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 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

So far, counter-efforts have involved both protectionist and industrial policies, including â€œMade in Europeâ€� rules that have stoked discord among some of Europeâ€™s largest economies.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Officials say one goal of the attacks is to undermine support for Ukraine, spread fear and discord in European societies and drain investigative resources.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 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

But beyond that particular case, the suit says, the agents and analysts had a diversity of career experience, including expertise in the counterintelligence threat from Iran and instances of helping recover American hostages held abroad.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The diversity and scale of South America have provided the canvas for many unforgettable journeys, but one trip stands out in particular.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of diversity

Noun

If the main predictor of racial disparities in prison is poverty, then denouncing police and prosecutors as racist won't shrink those gaps.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
The measures are meant to address wealth disparities created by apartheid, when South Africa’s white minority excluded Black people from the economy.

— John Eligon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of disparity

Noun

On its face, however, this inspirational message seems in sharp contrast to economic reality.

— Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
By contrast, the Jaguars’ game on Sunday against the Houston Texans in Wembley Stadium is operated by the team, not the NFL.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 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 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of maladaptation

noun

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