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
After examining the evidence, they found no convincing proof that weight cycling itself causes long-term harm in people with obesity.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
While weight-loss medications are designed as lifelong treatments for chronic diseases, namely obesity and Type 2 diabetes, they are increasingly marketed as lifestyle fixes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
The findings arrive at a time when newer obesity medications, including GLP-1 and dual incretin agonists, are becoming increasingly common.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
And we’d enlisted mayors from five hundred cities and towns across the country to commit to tackling childhood obesity on the local level.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
