1. mal, male
= bad; abnormal;
worse

2. dismal
Depressing;
causing gloom
or misery;
causing bad feelings

3. After several dismal, rainy days, Dylan
longed for blue skies and sunshine.
Nancy was upset after seeing her
dismal test score.

4. malady
Bad health;
illness; sickness

5. My neighbor’s malady caused her to
be bedridden for weeks.
Despite his malady, he was in positive
spirits.

6. malaria
Bad air; disease
usually spread by
infected
mosquitoes

7. malefactor
An evildoer;
a person who
does bad things

8. Larry was the leader of the gang of
malefactors, and was on the FBI’s
most wanted list.
In the Harry Potter series, Voldemort is
the main malefactor.

9. malevolent A word that describes a person or character
who wishes bad things
would happen to others

10. The malevolent character gets his just
consequences in most fairy tales.
Although she appeared to be kind,
Jenny had a malevolent personality.

11. malfeasance
Wrongdoing or
bad conduct by
a public official

12. The mayor was sued for malfeasance
after he stole millions of dollars.
In voting for a candidate, we should
check for any prior malfeasance.

13. malice
Mischief;
evil intent;
bad will

14. Chloe’s face displayed a total lack of
malice even as she purposely tripped
the other child.
Snow White’s evil stepmother had
malice in her heart when she summoned
the huntsman.

15. malignant harmful; something bad enough that could result in death
when related to
cancer

16. The doctor’s face revealed that the
tumor was malignant.
The surgeon immediately scheduled
surgery to remove the malignant tumor.

17. malnourished
having bad health
or having poor
nutrition

18. What can we do to help malnourished
children all over the world?
Many benefactors donate money
to organizations that help malnourished
people.

19. malodorous
bad smell;
stinky

20. While walking her dogs, Cindy was
offended by the malodorous stench
coming from the trash cans.
After playing outside all day, James
took a shower to remove his malodorous
odor.