bedridden

American  

[bed-rid-n] / ˈbɛdˌrɪd n /

adjective

1. confined to bed because of illness, injury, etc.

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bedridden British  

/ ˈbɛdˌrɪdən /

adjective

1. confined to bed because of illness, esp for a long or indefinite period

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Etymology

Origin of bedridden

1300–50; Middle English, variant (by confusion with past participle of ride ) of bedrid

Explanation

Someone who's bedridden is so sick or elderly that they can't get out of bed. Your friend might have such a bad case of the flu that she's bedridden for several days and can't go to work or school. Most people who are bedridden are terribly ill and confined to their bed — or a hospital bed — until they recover. Very old people might also be bedridden because of weakness or pain. The word comes from the Old English bæddrædæn, "bedridden man," from the roots bedd, "bed," and rida, "rider."

Example Sentences

Bedridden in the advanced stages of ALS, McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a ceremony from his Homer Glen, Ill., home in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Bedridden for months, he let his short hair grow out and passed the time watching online courses offered by Stanford University about the rising field of artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 3, 2026

Bedridden and unable to comprehend time, my illness seemed to drag on for eternity with no end in sight.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2023

Bedridden and in severe pain, she entered an immunotherapy trial at M.D.

From New York Times • Jul. 30, 2016

Care of the Paralytic, Helpless, Bedridden, and Filthy Patients.—There are many patients in an asylum who are indifferent to all the wants of nature, who wet and dirty themselves.

From How to Care for the Insane A Manual for Nurses by Granger, William D.

Related Words

• ill
• incapacitated
• infirm
• invalid