mala

British

/ ˈmɑːlaː /

noun

Hinduism a string of beads or knots, used in praying and meditating

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For those who know Minguela, it felt like mala suerte — bad luck.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2025

Abordó proyectos de transporte público y avenidas que, ella ha dicho, ayudaron a reducir en un 30% el número de días que la ciudad registró mala calidad del aire.

From Science Magazine • May 8, 2024

Law Minister Anisul Haq said Mr Shams had "misrepresented facts with the mala fide intention of creating discontent".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2023

The kitchen crusted the age steak in sansho peppercorns for a numbing, tingling sensation often associated with a mala Sichuan dish.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 18, 2022

But these poisonings from the agua mala came quickly and struck like a whiplash.

From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023