mal-

Save This Word!

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).

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare male-.

Origin of mal-

Middle English <Old French, representing mal adv. (<Latin male badly, ill) and adj. (<Latin malus bad)

Other definitions for mal- (2 of 2)

Mal.

abbreviation

Bible. Malachi.

Malayan.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mal- in a sentence

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is a phrase for the foreigners' rapture: mal d'afrique.
Susan Minot on Africa, Joseph Kony, and the Limits of Writing About Love|Lea Carpenter|February 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But on Sal Mal Lane, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Catholics live side by side in relative harmony.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 13, 2013|Mythili Rao, Sarah Stodola|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She invoked in him feelings of pity, despair, lust, and betrayal—the commanding themes of Les Fleurs du Mal.
Baudelaire’s Femme Fatale Muse|James MacManus|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But we know very little about the woman who became the inspiration for his masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal.
Baudelaire’s Femme Fatale Muse|James MacManus|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Est avenu que ledit Martin huit iours apres son baptme a est frapp de ce mal, dont il est mort.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
C'est ainsi que Dieu sait tirer du mal vn bien; il chastie les siens, & neantmoins les soutient de sa main.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
La Grêce est mal placée géographiquement pour exercer une action sur la guerre.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
They went a little unsteadily down the stone steps, a cold, damp air meeting them in the face, close and mal-odorous.
The Empty House And Other Ghost Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Historians even are not agreed as to the origin of the famous device: Honi soit qui mal y pense.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (1 of 3)

MAL

abbreviation for

Malaysia (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (2 of 3)

mal-

combining form

bad or badly; wrong or wrongly; imperfect or defectivemaladjusted; malfunction

Word Origin for mal-

Old French, from Latin malus bad, male badly

British Dictionary definitions for mal- (3 of 3)

Mal.

abbreviation for

Bible Malachi

Malay(an)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012