Synonyms for malady

12 synonyms
8 antonyms
1 meaning

noun

Most common

All synonyms

Noun

1. Disease — any ailment or disease of the body; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder

disease, illness, ailment, sickness, disorder, distemper, infirmity, indisposition, trouble, complaint, unwellness, affection dated

Antonyms

health, wellness, well-being

All antonyms of malady →

Definitions

n. 1
Any ailment or disease of the body; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.
The maladies of the body may prove medicines of the mind.

Forms

Plural: maladies → diseases, illnesses, ailments, sicknesses…

Choose the right word

or Malady?

Malady is not a medical term, and is less used than formerly in literature. A disease is usually deep-seated and permanent, or at least prolonged; a disorder is often slight, partial, and temporary; malady has less of a technical sense than the other terms, and refers more especially to the suffering endured.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Example sentences

disease Eating healthfully can help prevent heart disease.
illness Tom attributed his failure in the exam to illness.
sickness Her sickness, she is the only one afflicted by it.
ailment The doctor said that this ailment is incurable.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
malady		steady
disease		steady
illness		rising
sickness		steady
ailment		steady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

7 letters: disease², trouble², illness², ailment²
8 letters: disorder³, sickness²
9 letters: complaint², affection³, distemper³, infirmity⁴
10 letters: unwellness
13 letters: indisposition

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (disease² = 2 syllables).