morbid
Americanadjective
-
suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, etc..
a morbid interest in death.
- Antonyms:
- cheerful
-
affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease.
- Synonyms:
- sickly, sick, unhealthy, diseased, unwholesome
- Antonyms:
- healthy
-
pertaining to diseased parts.
morbid anatomy.
-
gruesome; grisly.
adjective
-
having an unusual interest in death or unpleasant events
-
gruesome
-
relating to or characterized by disease; pathologic
a morbid growth
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of morbid
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin morbidus “sickly,” from morb(us) “disease, sickness” + -idus -id 4
Explanation
If the first section of the newspaper you read is the obituaries, you could be considered morbid. Morbid is a word used to describe anyone who spends too much time thinking about death or disease. A lot of English words relating to medicine and science come from Latin, and the adjective morbid is one of them; it comes from the root morbidus, meaning "diseased" or "sick." Morbid can also be used to describe other nouns besides people. If you wear Goth clothing, your wardrobe might be described as morbid. And if you hang tombstones on your walls, your taste in art could also be described as morbid.
Vocabulary lists containing morbid
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Rap Lyrics
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Grade 10, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Next steps: It may feel morbid to plan for life as a widow or widower, but smart advance tax-planning strategies mean facing the “what-ifs.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Thinking about those details did not feel morbid to her.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Some particularly graphic scenes make this morbid epic more appropriate for adults, but Mr. Kraus’s gruesome sensibilities had always been an awkward fit for YA readers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Sorry to be morbid, but were you close to death?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
“Because it’s morbid to stay here and watch,” I told him.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
