Maladjusting

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Having difficulty adapting or fitting into a new environment or situation ; showing signs of improper or ineffective adjustment in behavior or circumstances ; failing to achieve or maintain a proper balance or integration within social or personal contexts
2. Experiencing trouble in conforming to changing conditions or demands ; manifesting improper or unsuitable responses to environmental or social challenges ; lacking the ability to harmonize one’s actions or attitudes with surrounding expectations
3. Struggling to modify oneself appropriately in response to external pressures ; displaying inadequate or faulty adaptation in behavior or emotional state ; not successfully aligning personal or social behaviors with the demands of a particular context

Etymology: "Maladjusting" is the present participle of "maladjust," a verb built from the prefix "mal-," meaning "bad" or "badly," attached to "adjust." The prefix comes from Latin "malus," "bad," and entered English through Old French, where it appeared in many words expressing faulty or defective states. "Adjust" itself comes from Latin "adjustare," formed from "ad-," "to," and "justare," "to bring into line," which in turn grows from "justus," "right" or "just." So the core idea is of something brought into line, and "maladjust" describes the opposite: something set wrongly. The compound is easy to build from its parts, and its sense is clear from them. The participle form appears because the verb has been used in continuous forms, as in phrases describing someone or something currently being set out of line with its surroundings. The adjective sense follows the same logic, describing a person or thing that fails to fit or respond properly to conditions around it.

Synonyms: misadjusting, maladapting, misfitting, misaligning

Antonyms: adjusting, adapting, fitting, aligning