Standard Lemma guide

moribund

adj · noun · 5 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation, US: /ˈmɔːɹɪbʌnd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: M AO1 R AH0 B AH0 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Approaching death; about to die; dying; expiring.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Almost obsolete; nearing an end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who is near to dying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

being on the point of death; breathing your last

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a moribund patient

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not growing or changing; without force or vitality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stagnant

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin moribundus (“dying”).

Across languages

Translations

66 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: умиращ (umirašt) — approaching death
  • Catalan: moribund — approaching death
  • Chinese Mandarin: 垂死 (chuísǐ) — approaching death
  • Chinese Mandarin: 腐朽 (fǔxiǔ) — approaching death
  • Chinese Mandarin: 瀕死 /濒死 (bīnsǐ) — approaching death
  • Czech: moribundní — approaching death
  • Danish: døende — approaching death
  • Finnish: kuoleva — approaching death
  • French: moribond — approaching death
  • French: mourant — approaching death
  • Galician: moribundo — approaching death
  • German: moribund — approaching death
  • German: todgeweiht — approaching death
  • Greek: ετοιμοθάνατος (etoimothánatos) — approaching death
  • Hungarian: haldokló — approaching death
  • Hungarian: halódó — approaching death
  • Icelandic: dauðvona — approaching death
  • Icelandic: (to be moribund) liggja fyrir dauðanum — approaching death
  • Icelandic: að dauða kominn — approaching death
  • Indonesian: nazak — approaching death
  • Indonesian: sekarat — approaching death
  • Irish: díbheo — approaching death
  • Italian: moribondo — approaching death
  • Italian: morente — approaching death
  • Japanese: 瀕死の (hinshi-no) — approaching death
  • Japanese: 死にかけている (shi-ni kakete iru) — approaching death
  • Latin: moribundus — approaching death
  • Malay: nazak — approaching death
  • Manx: neuvioal — approaching death
  • Manx: neuvioyr — approaching death
  • Manx: raad y vaaish — approaching death
  • Manx: gyn leihill — approaching death
  • Manx: lhiastagh — approaching death
  • Manx: lieh-vio — approaching death
  • Norwegian: døende — approaching death
  • Polish: umierający — approaching death
  • Polish: konający — approaching death
  • Portuguese: moribundo — approaching death
  • Portuguese: morrediço — approaching death
  • Portuguese: morrente — approaching death
  • Russian: умира́ющий (umirájuščij) — approaching death
  • Russian: агони́рующий (agonírujuščij) — approaching death
  • Russian: загнива́ющий (zagnivájuščij) — approaching death
  • Sanskrit: मारुक (māruka) — approaching death
  • Serbo-Croatian: moribundan — approaching death
  • Serbo-Croatian: umirući — approaching death
  • Serbo-Croatian: samrtnički — approaching death
  • Serbo-Croatian: agonalni — approaching death
  • Spanish: moribundo — approaching death
  • Spanish: mortecino — approaching death
  • Swedish: döende — approaching death
  • Thai: ร่อแร่ (rɔ̂ɔ-rɛ̂ɛ) — approaching death
  • Turkish: can çekişen — approaching death
  • Ukrainian: вмираючий (vmyrajučyj) — approaching death
  • Danish: uddøende — almost obsolete
  • Finnish: poistuva — almost obsolete
  • Finnish: loppuva — almost obsolete
  • Finnish: katoava — almost obsolete
  • Hungarian: kihalófélben lévő — almost obsolete
  • Hungarian: kihalóban lévő — almost obsolete
  • Indonesian: hampir mati — almost obsolete
  • Russian: устарева́ющий (ustarevájuščij) — almost obsolete
  • Russian: выходя́щий из употребле́ния (vyxodjáščij iz upotreblénija) — almost obsolete
  • Swedish: utdöende — almost obsolete
  • Ukrainian: відсталий (vidstalyj) — almost obsolete
  • Ukrainian: той, що виходить з вжитку (toj, ščo vyxodytʹ z vžytku) — almost obsolete