Meaning & use
maladjusted
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableformaltechnical
Unable to cope well with normal social or environmental demands, often showing emotional or behavioral problems.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after linking verbs like be, seem, feel: a maladjusted child; he seems maladjusted.
Patterns
- maladjusted to something
- socially maladjusted
The report described him as maladjusted and unable to form close relationships.
Some children become maladjusted when they are moved from school to school.
The program helps maladjusted teenagers learn to handle their emotions.
Word forms
| comparative | more maladjusted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most maladjusted |
Common combinations
- socially maladjusted
- The study focused on socially maladjusted adults.
- maladjusted to society
- He felt maladjusted to society after years of isolation.
- emotionally maladjusted
- The child was emotionally maladjusted and needed counseling.
- maladjusted behavior
- Teachers are trained to recognize maladjusted behavior.
Synonyms and how they differ
- maladaptive
- More technical and focuses on behavior that harms functioning, while maladjusted emphasizes poor fit with the environment.
- unadjusted
- Neutral and often temporary; maladjusted suggests a deeper, more lasting difficulty.
Opposites
Word family
- maladjustment noun
- The condition of being maladjusted.
- adjust verb
- To change in order to fit a new situation.
- adjustment noun
- A small change made to fit or improve something.
Commonly confused: maladjusted or maladroit?
maladjusted vs maladroit
Maladroit means clumsy or tactless, not unable to adjust socially.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'maladjusted' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Maladjusted describes someone who cannot adjust well, so it fits the idea of difficulty making friends. The other options use it with meanings of adjusting successfully or physically changing something, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “maladjusted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.