Maladapted

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Poorly suited to a particular environment or situation due to inadequate adjustment or evolutionary development
2. Not fitting well within a specific environment or context as a result of insufficient adaptation or evolutionary changes
3. Inadequately adjusted for a certain habitat or circumstance because of improper evolutionary modifications

Etymology: "Maladapted" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "mal-" added to "adapted," meaning ill-suited to its surroundings. The prefix comes from Latin "malus," meaning "bad" or "ill," which passed into English through Old French "mal-." English has long used this prefix with participles and adjectives to mean badly or wrongly, as in "malformed" and "maltreated." "Adapted" itself traces back to Latin "adaptare," meaning "to fit to," built from "ad-" ("to") and "aptare" ("to fit"), the same root that gives English "apt" and "aptitude." So "maladapted" literally describes something badly fitted to what it is meant to fit. The word is most often used in biology and psychology, where an organism or behaviour is poorly suited to its environment.

Synonyms: unsuited, ill-fitted, inappropriate, incompatible, unfit

Antonyms: well-adapted, suitable, fit, appropriate, compatible