"not exhibiting adequate or appropriate adjustment to a situation or environment," 1912, from mal- + adaptive.
Entries linking to maladaptive
mal-
word-forming element of Latin origin meaning "bad, badly, ill, poorly, wrong, wrongly," from French mal (adv.), from Old French mal (adj., adv.) "evil, ill, wrong, wrongly" (9c.), from Latin male (adv.) "badly," or malus (adj.) "bad, evil" (fem. mala, neuter malum), from Proto-Italic *malo-, from PIE *mol-o-, probably from PIE root *mel- (3) "false, bad, wrong."
Most Modern English words with this element are 19c. coinages. It generally implies imperfection or deficiency, but often it is simply negative (as in malfeasance, malcontent). It is equivalent to dys- and caco- of Greek origin and Germanic mis- (1).
adaptive adj.
"of, pertaining to, or characterized by adaptation," 1795, from adapt + -ive. The classically proper formation is adaptative (1831).