Standard Lemma guide

malocclusion

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌmæləˈkluːʒən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːʒən

1

noun

Meaning 1

A misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: dentistry, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: benocclusion

2

noun

Meaning 2

(dentistry) a condition in which the opposing teeth do not mesh normally

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disorder, upset

Narrower terms: overbite

History

Etymology

First attested in 1888. Formed as mal- (“wrong”, “improper(ly)”: ultimately from the Classical Latin male, “badly”, “wrongly”; from malus, “bad”; compare the ben- element in benocclusion) + occlusion (“alignment of the teeth in closed jaws”).

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: обратна захапка (obratna zahapka) — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 錯𬌗 /错𬌗 (cuòhé) — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 錯𬌗畸形 /错𬌗畸形 (cuòhé jīxíng) — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咬合不正 (yǎohé bùzhèng) — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Hungarian: helytelen fogsorilleszkedés — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Norwegian Bokmål: feilbitt — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Spanish: mala oclusión — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth
  • Spanish: oclusión mala / anormal / defectuosa / patológica — misalignment of the upper and lower sets of teeth