moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

1

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

in the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death

—Norman Cameron

2

: being in a state of inactivity or obsolescence

a moribund virus

a moribund volcano

prune the moribund files from your disk forever

—D. S. Janal

moribundity

ˌmȯr-ə-ˈbən-də-tē 

ˌmär-

noun

Did you know?

Moribund Gets Less Literal

Moribund is still sometimes used in its original literal sense of "approaching death", but it's much more often used to describe things. When the economy goes bad, we hear about moribund mills and factories and towns; the economy itself may even be called moribund. Critics may speak of the moribund state of poetry, or lament the moribund record or newspaper industry.

Synonyms

• dying

Examples of moribund in a Sentence

an actor who is trying to revive his moribund career

The peace talks are moribund.

Recent Examples on the Web

But a somewhat moribund 2024 and the likelihood of a much more volatile year to come has ended that ambition for the time being. —Cathrin Schaer, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025

Torres was brought aboard to lead off and hopefully kickstart a relatively moribund offense. —Tony Blengino, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

Other terms for that old, and now possibly moribund, order are the Pax Americana or — as Henry Luce, the founder of Time and other magazines, called it — the American Century. —Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024

What's next: Most forecasts see mortgage rates declining a smidge in 2025 to around 6 - 6.5% — probably not enough to jolt the moribund real estate market out of its slump. —Emily Peck, Axios, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin moribundus, from mori to die — more at murder

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

: nearly dead

Medical Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd, ˈmär- 

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

in the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death

—Norman Cameron