as in distorted
badly or imperfectly formed
a clay sculpture of an eagle that was so malformed that it looked more like a feathered football
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Recent Examples of malformed
Seven goats became pregnant; six had miscarriages, but one kid was born—with a malformed lung.
—
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Tonally, the story ends up halfway between malformed melodrama about inequity and a mystery steeped in respectability politics, wherein the point is how easily political allegiances (or assumptions about cops who shoot unarmed Black men) can blind one to greater complexities.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
Facing uncertainty Michael Lozano and William Wilcox are unlikely to get a definitive answer about what caused their malformed blood vessels, but they are encouraged that scientists are at least studying how blasts can alter veins and arteries.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 14 Jan. 2025
The tall clay-like skin creature looks like a candle melting in human form, without eyes, and with malformed hands that resemble a fetus’ in a sonogram.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for malformed
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Tonally, the story ends up halfway between malformed melodrama about inequity and a mystery steeped in respectability politics, wherein the point is how easily political allegiances (or assumptions about cops who shoot unarmed Black men) can blind one to greater complexities.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
Facing uncertainty Michael Lozano and William Wilcox are unlikely to get a definitive answer about what caused their malformed blood vessels, but they are encouraged that scientists are at least studying how blasts can alter veins and arteries.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 14 Jan. 2025
The tall clay-like skin creature looks like a candle melting in human form, without eyes, and with malformed hands that resemble a fetus’ in a sonogram.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for malformed
Recent Examples of Synonyms for malformed
Adjective
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More uncomfortable than the album’s distorted genrebending are Han’s lyrics, which narrate confessional and confrontational male desire.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
3 Feb. 2026
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Sombr’s rendition strips the track back emotionally while reshaping it sonically, layering distorted vocals and a driving indie-rock pulse over the song’s core melody.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Is Rashid a monstrous dungeon master?—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Monstera Aptly named, monstera deliciosa is truly monstrous, gobbling up space in your home at a rate of one to two feet per year.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Central Park, for instance, has been reduced to a small, deformed square.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
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As a result, his vocals have a kind of stately yet starry-eyed quality, giving structure to these deformed, cosmic beats from the internet abyss.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Focus on removing crossing, touching, weak, or misshapen branches that grow upwards or downwards into other layers, and remove twiggy, spindly growth down the trunk.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
18 Jan. 2026
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When not in use, keep your wool sweaters folded, and avoid hanging them, which can cause misshapen impressions or stretch out the shoulders.—
Kevin Gray,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Malformed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/malformed. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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