What does "maladaptive" mean?

Of behavior, showing inadequate or counterproductive mental and behavioral adaptation to a new situation.

What is a synonym for "maladaptive"?

Common synonyms include: dysfunctional, maladaptative, maladjustive.

Pronounced //ˌmæləˈdæptɪv//.

//ˌmæləˈdæptɪv// adj

adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
Of behavior, showing inadequate or counterproductive mental and behavioral adaptation to a new situation.
"It seemed likely that in the apparently maladaptive responses of workers to computer-based technology (what many called “resistance to change”), it would be possible to trace a lineage of ordinary assumptions that referred back to the realities of the past and their points of disjuncture with the future."
2
Of anatomy, physiology, or behavior, showing inadequate or counterproductive evolutionary adaptation to an environment or its changes.
"The mismatch is the result of an adaptive lag that occurs when the environment that produced an evolved mechanism changes more rapidly than the time it takes for the mechanism to adapt to the change. This theory posits that many of the physical and psychological traits that were originally selected for because they were at the time advantageous for survival and reproduction may not only no longer be useful but can even be maladaptive."