moribund

[mawr-uh-buhnd, mor-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR moribund ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

in a dying state; near death.

on the verge of extinction or termination.

not progressing or advancing; stagnant: a moribund political party.

Nearby words

Origin of moribund

1715–25; < Latin moribundus dying, equivalent to mori- (stem of morī to die) + -bundus adj. suffix

Related formsmor·i·bun·di·ty, nounmor·i·bund·ly, adverbun·mor·i·bund, adjectiveun·mor·i·bund·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for moribund

Then Heal STL was burned down Monday like a moribund body for cremation.
The Baptism of Michael Brown Sr. and Ferguson’s Baptism by Fire|Justin Glawe|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Murdoch bought the paper in 1969 it was a moribund broadsheet losing a ton of money, with a circulation of 800,000.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine|Clive Irving|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now French investigators, with the help of the FBI, want to know if it is more than a moribund coincidence.
Alps Murder Twist: Iraqi Wife Had Secret American Ex-Husband Who Died on the Same Day|Barbie Latza Nadeau|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is Palestinian culture to blame for the moribund state of the Palestinian economy?
Dear WaPo: Abbas Did Not 'Reject' Olmert's Offer|Emily L. Hauser|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Palestinian leaders have said they will press him to make a bold play to reinvigorate the moribund peace process.
Marco Rubio Really Loves Israel and Has Pictures to Prove It|Eli Lake|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The pulse of the moribund state is nearly always small, very rapid (130-150), and thready, without force or fulness.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Mr. Moribund, by his will, left everything of which he was possessed to his widow absolutely.
De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bona|Ernest Evan Spicer
Many of these patients were conveyed to the hospital in extreme conditions; occasionally they were moribund on admission.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Again there was more energy than the moribund are wont to manifest.
Merton of the Movies|Harry Leon Wilson
The driver once more hitched the reins over the back of his moribund beast, and they started uptown.
Mortmain|Arthur Cheny Train

British Dictionary definitions for moribund

moribund

adjective

near death

stagnant; without force or vitality

Derived Formsmoribundity, nounmoribundly, adverb

Word Origin for moribund

C18: from Latin, from morī to die

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

Word Origin and History for moribund

moribund

adj.

1721, "about to die," from Middle French moribund (16c.), from Latin moribundus "dying, at the point of death," from mori "to die" (see mortal (adj.)). Figurative sense of "near an end" is from 1837. Related: Moribundity.

Medicine definitions for moribund

moribund

[môr′ə-bŭnd′]

n.

At the point of death; dying.

Related formsmor′i•bun′di•ty (-bŭn′dĭ-tē) n.

moribund

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of moribund

Examples from the Web for moribund

moribund

adjective

Word Origin for moribund

moribund

moribund

n.