Standard Lemma guide

morbid

adj · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈmɔː.bɪd/
  • US: /ˈmɔɹ.bɪd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AO1 R B AH0 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, relating to, or afflicted by disease.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: originally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Taking an interest in, or fixating on, unhealthy or unwholesome subjects such as death, decay, disease.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • morbid boy
  • morbid child
  • morbid mind
  • morbid obsession
  • morbid question

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Suggesting the horror of death; macabre or ghoulish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • morbid poem
  • morbid song

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Grisly or gruesome.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • morbid video

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

caused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • diseased tonsils
  • a morbid growth
  • pathologic tissue
  • pathological bodily processes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: diseased, pathologic, pathological

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

suggesting the horror of death and decay

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • morbid details

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ghoulish

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

suggesting an unhealthy mental state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • morbid interest in death
  • morbid curiosity

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mer-der.? Latin morbus Proto-Indo-European *dheh1-der. Proto-Italic *-iðos Latin -idus Latin morbidusder. English morbid From Latin morbidus (“diseased”), from morbus (“sickness”), itself from the root of morī (“to die”) or directly from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pound, wear away”).

Across languages

Translations

74 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَرْضِيّ (marḍīyy) — of or relating to disease
  • Armenian: հիվանդագին (hivandagin) — of or relating to disease
  • Armenian: հիվանդոտ (hivandot) — of or relating to disease
  • Bulgarian: патологичен (patologičen) — of or relating to disease
  • Catalan: mòrbid — of or relating to disease
  • Czech: chorobný — of or relating to disease
  • Czech: patologický — of or relating to disease
  • Dutch: morbide — of or relating to disease
  • Dutch: ongezond — of or relating to disease
  • Dutch: ziek — of or relating to disease
  • Dutch: ziekelijk — of or relating to disease
  • Finnish: sairaalloinen — of or relating to disease
  • Finnish: sairas — of or relating to disease
  • French: morbide — of or relating to disease
  • Galician: mórbido — of or relating to disease
  • German: morbid — of or relating to disease
  • Irish: galrach — of or relating to disease
  • Italian: morboso — of or relating to disease
  • Japanese: 病的 (byōteki) — of or relating to disease
  • Russian: боле́зненный (boléznennyj) — of or relating to disease
  • Russian: нездоро́вый (nezdoróvyj) — of or relating to disease
  • Spanish: mórbido — of or relating to disease
  • Turkish: hastalıksal — of or relating to disease
  • Turkish: patolojik — of or relating to disease
  • Ukrainian: патологічний (patolohičnyj) — of or relating to disease
  • Ukrainian: хворобливий (xvoroblyvyj) — of or relating to disease
  • Czech: morbidní — interested or fixated on death and decay
  • Bulgarian: мрачен (mračen) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Bulgarian: меланхоличен (melanholičen) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Czech: nemocný — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Dutch: morbide — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Dutch: ongezond — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Dutch: ziekelijk — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Finnish: sairaalloinen — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Finnish: sairas — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Galician: mórbido — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Georgian: არაჯანსაღი (araǯansaɣi) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Georgian: ავადმყოფური (avadmq̇opuri) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • German: krankhaft — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Hebrew: מורבידי — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Hungarian: beteges — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Hungarian: morbid — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Italian: morboso — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Japanese: 不健全 (fukenzen) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Norwegian: morbid — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Plautdietsch: looj — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Portuguese: mórbido — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Russian: ненорма́льный (nenormálʹnyj) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Russian: нездоро́вый (nezdoróvyj) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Swedish: morbid — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Ukrainian: нездоровий (nezdorovyj) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Ukrainian: хворий (xvoryj) — unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
  • Dutch: morbide — suggesting the horror of death
  • Dutch: macaber — suggesting the horror of death
  • Finnish: kammottava — suggesting the horror of death
  • Finnish: makaaberi — suggesting the horror of death
  • Hebrew: מורבידי — suggesting the horror of death
  • Italian: raccapricciante — suggesting the horror of death
  • Norwegian: morbid — suggesting the horror of death
  • Swedish: makaber — suggesting the horror of death
  • Bulgarian: ужасен (užasen) — grisly, gruesome
  • Dutch: morbide — grisly, gruesome
  • Dutch: akelig — grisly, gruesome
  • Dutch: gruwelijk — grisly, gruesome
  • Dutch: macaber — grisly, gruesome
  • Finnish: kammottava — grisly, gruesome
  • Finnish: kauhea — grisly, gruesome
  • Finnish: hirveä — grisly, gruesome
  • Finnish: järkyttävä — grisly, gruesome
  • French: morbide — grisly, gruesome
  • Italian: raccapricciante — grisly, gruesome
  • Norwegian: morbid — grisly, gruesome
  • Russian: омерзи́тельный (omerzítelʹnyj) — grisly, gruesome
  • Ukrainian: жахливий (žaxlyvyj) — grisly, gruesome
Real reading context

morbid in complete knowledge articles