The Good, The Bad, and Everything in Between: mal (bad)

This list features words with the Latin root mal, meaning "bad" or "evil."
11 words 1 learner

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dismal
    causing dejection
    People like to predict the future, often a dismal future, but the future is not written. The Guardian (Jun 18, 2017)
  2. maladroit
    not quick or skillful in action or thought
    He had been maladroit, he thought, had lost his presence of mind. Ward, Humphry, Mrs.
  3. malady
    impairment of normal physiological function
    The general advice trends toward aiming for a healthy weight, eating nutritious food and getting exercise to prevent health maladies. Washington Times (Apr 4, 2017)
  4. malaria
    a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite
    He fell ill with malaria and nothing the healer concocted saved him. The Color Purple
  5. malcontent
    dissatisfied as toward authority
    He dismissed them as “a malcontent group that is very vocal.” New York Times (Feb 10, 2017)
  6. malefactor
    someone who has committed a crime
    But the emphasis can’t be only on prosecuting those malefactors, or protecting the whistleblowers who reveal their identities. The Guardian (May 24, 2015)
  7. malevolent
    wishing or appearing to wish evil to others
    His Willy Wonka was gentle and generous but also vaguely malevolent—though only if you were a child bent on misbehaving. Time (Aug 29, 2016)
  8. malfeasance
    wrongful conduct by a public official
    The government would be accused of negligence, incompetence, even malfeasance in its handling of the case. New York Times (Jun 19, 2017)
  9. malice
    the desire to see others suffer
    It still surprises me to hear such malice in his voice. Red Queen
  10. malignant
    dangerous to health
    It was not clear whether the lesion was benign or malignant. Reuters (May 24, 2017)
  11. malodorous
    having an unpleasant smell
    Malodorous trash piled up on the sidewalks of Beirut in August after the government closed a main landfill, suspending garbage collection. US News (Sep 1, 2015)
Created on Mon Feb 23 10:16:00 EST 2026 (updated Thu Mar 19 16:50:25 EDT 2026)

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