obesity

noun

obe·​si·​ty ō-ˈbē-sə-tē 

: a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body

Obesity affects not just appearance, but disease processes as well.

—Malorye Allison

Synonyms

• adiposity
• chubbiness
• corpulence
• corpulency
• embonpoint
• fat
• fatness
• fattiness
• fleshiness
• grossness
• plumpness
• portliness
• pudginess
• pursiness
• rotundity
• weight

Examples of obesity in a Sentence

obesity has been linked to a number of health risks, such as heart disease

Recent Examples on the Web

Older women, people who reported substance use during pregnancy, and those who were overweight or had obesity were also at higher risk of postpartum depression, the study found. —Dr. Esther Zusstone, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2024

Novo is vying with Lilly for supremacy in obesity drugs, the pharmaceutical industry’s fastest-growing new business, while an expanding list of rivals rush to develop competing medicines. —Naomi Kresge, Fortune Europe, 6 Nov. 2024

One of the biggest threats to a dog's health is obesity, which affects over 34 percent of canines in America, according to the AKC. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

More liberal Medicaid coverage could expand access for the almost 40% of adults and 26% of children with obesity in Medicaid, but would strain some state budgets. —Tina Reed, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French obesité, borrowed from Latin obēsitāt-, obēsitās, from obēsus "fat, stout" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at obese

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing obesity

• anti-obesity

Medical Definition

obesity

noun

obe·​si·​ty ō-ˈbē-sət-ē 

plural obesities

: a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body and that in an adult is typically indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater