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maladaptation

American  
[mal-ad-uhp-tay-shuhn] / ˌmæl æd əpˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. incomplete, inadequate, or faulty adaptation.


Etymology

Origin of maladaptation

First recorded in 1875–80; mal- + adaptation


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:

The development of PT maladaptation markers required analysis of plasma proteome in patients having cardiac surgery and in marathon runners who may have suffered exercise-related AKI.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2023

CrossFit, then, “is one component of how to change the behaviors of adults, in an attempt to reverse our maladaptation to our current circumstances.”

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2023

Since the last report, there is further evidence that some adaptation can lead to unintended consequences that worsen the impacts of climate change—what’s known as maladaptation.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 28, 2022

“Our level of intelligence could be a maladaptation, a wrong turn, an aberration.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2017

Failure sheds light on the conditions of success, maladaptation throws into relief the mental work that has to be done by the normal individual in order to secure and maintain his good adaptation.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Robert S. Woodworth

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