maladaptive

[mal-uh-dap-tiv] Example Sentences Origin

mal·a·dap·tive

[mal-uh-dap-tiv]
adjective
of, pertaining to, or characterized by maladaptation: The maladaptive behavior of isolated children was difficult to change.

Origin:
1930–35; mal- + adaptive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Maladaptive is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Example Sentences
  • As part of its capacity for achievement, it must also be able to exercise control that stops maladaptive behavior.
  • We all have to work harder at certain things or try to rein in our maladaptive behaviors when necessary.
  • First of all, thick subcutaneous fat is maladaptive in an arid environment but highly adaptive in a coastal marine environment.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
maladaptive (ˌmæləˈdæptɪv)
 
adj
1.  unsuitably adapted or adapting poorly to (a situation, purpose, etc)
2.  not encouraging adaptation
 
mala'dapted
 
adj
 
mala'daptively
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

maladaptive
1931, from mal- + adaptive (see adapt).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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