-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
plural maladies
1
: a disease or disorder of the animal body
told by his physicians that he had a fatal malady—Willa Cather
2
: an unwholesome or disordered condition
poverty, homelessness, and other social maladies
Synonyms
Examples of malady in a Sentence
in the olden days people were always suffering from some unknown malady
Recent Examples on the Web
And Ireland is not immune from the maladies that have afflicted the U.S. and Britain.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
In the national delirium of a presidential election, the maladies of politics impose themselves on our minds to an even greater degree.
—Jack Butler, National Review, 6 Oct. 2024
Savvy promoters of abstinence, the WCTU had a broad reach and employed a variety of tactics to circulate their claims about the physical maladies and social harms caused by alcohol.
—Elizabeth Marshall / Made By History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
In Haiti, people often go directly to a hospital to receive care for all sorts of maladies, and county officials and advocacy groups said many of the immigrants were unfamiliar with the U.S. system of seeing primary care doctors first or making appointments for treatment.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for malady
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.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English maladie, from Anglo-French, from malade sick, from Latin male habitus in bad condition
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of malady was
in the 13th century
Dictionary Entries Near malady
Cite this Entry
“Malady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malady. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on malady
Nglish: Translation of malady for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of malady for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share