morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbi-də-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being morbid

especially : an attitude, quality, or state of mind marked by excessive gloom

… there must have been some strange morbidity in his nature which made him take a grim pleasure in self-torture.

—Somerset Maugham

2

: a diseased state or symptom : ill health

Parasitic protozoans and helminths represent two major groups of infectious agents that are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations.

—Adel A. F. Mahmoud

also : a complication or undesirable side effect following surgery or medical treatment

Because laryngectomy results in substantial functional morbidity, including the loss of the natural voice … alternative forms of treatment have been developed.

—The New England Journal of Medicine

3

: the incidence of disease : the rate of illness (as in a specified population or group)

Because the young lack immune capability, the morbidity of viral upper respiratory diseases often reaches 100 percent of kittens in a litter or household.

—Margaret Reister

also : the incidence of complications or undesirable side effects following surgery or medical treatment

… radical prostatectomy in this setting … is associated with a very high morbidity.

—Phillip W. Kantoff

Examples of morbidity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The guidelines, made public on Oct. 17, come as China experiences an upward morbidity trend of its overweight and obese population. —Reuters, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024

Fractures in older adults are a significant source of morbidity and mortality, as these injuries can lead to other complications including pneumonia, blood clots and skin ulcers from needing to be hospitalized and at bed rest after an injury. —Nina Shapiro, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

The acquisition made by one avid collector attending an estate sale in the Hudson Valley earlier this month falls into the third category, with a dash of morbidity thrown in for good measure. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2024

Socioeconomic status is inversely correlated with morbidity and mortality. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbid-ət-ē 

plural morbidities

1

: the quality or state of being morbid

2

: the rate at which a disease occurs in a group of individuals

Medical Definition

morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbid-ət-ē 

plural morbidities

1

: a diseased state or symptom : ill health

Parasitic protozoans and helminths represent two major groups of infectious agents that are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations.

—Adel A. F. Mahmoud, Nature

also : a complication or undesirable side effect following surgery or medical treatment

Because laryngectomy results in substantial functional morbidity, including the loss of the natural voice … alternative forms of treatment have been developed.

—The New England Journal of Medicine

2

: the incidence of disease : the rate of illness (as in a specified population or group)

Because the young lack immune capability, the morbidity of viral upper respiratory diseases often reaches 100 percent of kittens in a litter or household.

—Margaret Reister, Cat Fancy

also : the incidence of complications or undesirable side effects following surgery or medical treatment

… radical prostatectomy in this setting … is associated with a very high morbidity.

—Phillip W. Kantoff, Scientific American Medicine

compare mortality sense 2