obesity

American  

[oh-bee-si-tee] / oʊˈbi sɪ ti /

Sometimes obeseness

noun

• obesities
  plural

1. the condition of being very fat or overweight; corpulence.

   His obesity puts him at risk for major health problems.

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obesity Scientific  

/ ō-bē′sĭ-tē /

1. The condition of being obese; increased body weight caused by excessive accumulation of fat.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overobesity
  noun
• antiobesity
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• obesities
  plural

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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. )

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Compare meaning

How does obesity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anorexia vs. obesity

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obesity obesities

Previous studies have connected late-night eating with obesity and cardiovascular problems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

This lack of access was "discriminating against people with obesity", he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Of the 11 cancers of particular interest, 10 were associated with obesity, with mouth cancer being the exception.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Individual health boards are responsible for decisions on the implementation and availability of medicines, including obesity medicines," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

“Increasingly, though, there’s evidence that watching TV—and, especially, watching junk food ads on TV—promotes obesity by changing mainly what and how much people eat, less so by changing how much they move.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

It does not require a Paxton to know that a hole in the stage two feet square, will not hold Barnum's obesities.

From Physiology of The Opera by John H. Swaby

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