mal-
a combining form meaning “bad,” “wrongful,” “ill,” occurring originally in loanwords from French (malapert ); on this model, used in the formation of other words (malfunction; malcontent ).
mal-
1 American
Mal.
2
American
abbreviation
-
Bible. Malachi.
-
Malayan.
Mal.
1
British
abbreviation
-
Bible Malachi
-
Malay(an)
MAL
2
British
abbreviation
mal-
3
British
combining form
Etymology
Origin of mal-
Middle English < Old French, representing mal adv. (< Latin male badly, ill) and adj. (< Latin malus bad)
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.
See Examples For:
To detain Hardrada, a charge of mal- appropriation, whether of pay or of booty, was brought against him.
From Harold : the Last of the Saxon Kings — Volume 11 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton
To hope = esper‑i; pref. mal- denotes opposite. 3In every case.
From International Language Past, Present and Future: With Specimens of Esperanto and Grammar by Walter John Clark
Tired = lac‑a; mal- denotes opposite; -ig denotes causing to be. 10Opened.
From International Language Past, Present and Future: With Specimens of Esperanto and Grammar by Walter John Clark
Bréard, the Comptroller-General, for a consideration winked at these mal- practices, and from a poor man when he landed in Canada, he returned to France in affluent circumstances.
From Picturesque Quebec : a sequel to Quebec past and present by Sir J. M. (James MacPherson) Le Moine
The Earl already began to tremble at the probable consequences of his mal- adroitness.
From History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1585e-86a by John Lothrop Motley
“I’ll go with Mal. I’ll go to this Senate.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
“She en’t normal, Mal. She en’t proper human. See them butterflies? Well, which one’s her dæmon?”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
“I don’t know. I’ve known people sent there, and I would not care to meet them again. It’s an ugly place, Mal. You stay close, you understand?”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
“We got to have a fire, Mal. We got to clean her, and we got to feed her.”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
“No. Don’t do that. Get some wood. Try to light a fire, Mal. It’s really important.”
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Those results provided the evidence needed to establish MAL as a distinct blood group system, with AnWj as its defining antigen.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
MAL was the 47th officially recognized blood group system at the time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
MAL was one of four blood group systems ratified during the period covered by the organization's 2026 terminology report, alongside ER, CD36 and ATP11C.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
But nothing compares to the spectacular new versions of the "Red" and the "Blue" albums made possible, in large part, to filmmaker Peter Jackson’s MAL technology.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2023
Thanks to Peter Jackson’s MAL technology, the tracks shimmer and pop like never before.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2023
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.
