bedridden
Americanadjective
adjective
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Everyone knows their postman’s name — right?” a bedridden retiree nervously trills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
My mother is bedridden and has very limited use of her hands.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
“When a strain is less virulent, as in the case of the Bundibugyo strain, infected people feel sick, but not sick enough to be bedridden or abandon their daily routines.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
While bedridden after surgery Carla connected with other women with endometriosis and started online support groups which evolved into her forming a charity, The Endometriosis Foundation.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
And when he became bedridden, she turned him on his side every hour so he wouldn’t get a bedsore.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
