obesity
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obesity
First recorded in 1605–15; from Middle French obésité, from Latin obēsitāt-, stem of obēsitās, equivalent to obēs(us) obese ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -tās -ty 2 ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does obesity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Obesity is the condition of being more overweight than is considered average or healthy. The noun obesity was first used around 1610 and has origins in the Latin word obesitas, meaning "fatness" or "corpulence." During the Middle Ages, obesity was a sign of wealth and prosperity indicating that you had enough money to buy and eat all the food you wanted while others starved. Nowadays, research has shown that having too much fat can cause a number of related health problems. A healthy diet and fitness regime is a great way for someone to shed excess pounds and avoid obesity.
Vocabulary lists containing obesity
"A Rose for Emily"
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Nutrition - Introductory
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List 2
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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.
People who have prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes or severe obesity, for example, tend to have lower GLP-1 than those who are metabolically healthy.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
The researchers also found no strong evidence that weight cycling is responsible for the gradual long-term weight gain commonly seen in obesity.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
“The only studies that have been done have looked at people living with obesity or Type 2 diabetes,” said Green.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
Magkos and Stefan say the evidence should encourage people with overweight or obesity not to abandon efforts to lose weight simply because maintaining weight loss can be difficult.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
I’m excited to talk about all of these except the one about obesity.
From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan
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.
