malady
Americannoun
plural
maladies-
any disorder or disease of the body, especially one that is chronic or deepseated.
- Synonyms:
- indisposition, ailment, complaint, affliction, sickness, illness
-
any undesirable or disordered condition.
social maladies; a malady of the spirit.
noun
-
any disease or illness
-
any unhealthy, morbid, or desperate condition
a malady of the spirit
Etymology
Origin of malady
1200–50; Middle English maladie < Old French, equivalent to malade sick (< Late Latin male habitus literally, ill-conditioned; see mal-, habit 1) + -ie -y 3
Explanation
A malady is an illness, like a malady that keeps you home, sick in bed for days, or something that causes you to have trouble or to suffer, like jet lag — a malady that affects travelers. Malady, pronounced "MAL-uh-dee," comes from the Latin words male, meaning "bad or ill" and habitus for "have, hold." When you have a malady, it is like something bad is holding you, such as an illness — the common cold: a malady of winter. Some bad habits cause maladies, such as never having any money — the malady of people who spend freely, not thinking of the future.
Vocabulary lists containing malady
Take the Bad with the Good: Bene and Mal
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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The Kite Runner
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The business group will be led by Kyle Malady, currently head of Global Networks and Technology.
From Reuters • Mar. 3, 2023
Aftersun and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande are also nominated for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer, along with Electric Malady, Rebellion and Blue Jean.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2023
After nine years of work, the setup, about a lesbian and a transgender man who tour as a duo called Queer Malady, was working just fine.
From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2021
In my new book "Our Malady" I explore this.
From Salon • Oct. 18, 2020
There was a crier, who cried news as a modern newspaper prints headlines—"The Master of Stormhold Suffers a Mysterious Malady!"
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
