malady
MAL-uh-deenounMeaning an illness, or a deep-rooted problem
Memory hook the LADY has a MALady. Poor Granny Mae is the lady with the bad cold; her malady keeps her in bed.
Boredom is a common malady on long car trips.
In context The town’s real malady was not its empty storefronts but its loss of hope; once neighbors began working together, the shops slowly filled again.
Similar illness, ailment, disorder, affliction
Opposite health, wellness
From Old French maladie, from malade, “sick,” from Latin male habitus, “in poor condition.”