maladaptively.

In a way that makes coping or functioning worse rather than helping with current conditions.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• respond maladaptively
• behave maladaptively

On the page

He responded maladaptively by withdrawing from every source of support.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Invariable adverb. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, interpretation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.