bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌri-dᵊn 

variants or less commonly bedrid

ˈbed-ˌrid 

: confined (as by illness) to bed

Examples of bedridden in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Along with all these obligations, Tonina is taking care of her bedridden mother, who is suffering from dementia. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026

The household quickly settled in, and within two weeks, Trotsky had resumed work on his biography of Lenin, while Natalia remained bedridden with a recurring bout of malaria. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026

Gregory Maassen was nearly bedridden by a burning sensation that was later diagnosed as a rare form of neuropathy. — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 21 July 2026

Toohey was bedridden for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee in December. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English bedrede, bedreden, from Old English bedreda, from bedreda one confined to bed, from bedd bed + -rida, -reda, from rīdan to ride — more at bed entry 1, ride entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bedridden

• unbidden
• bidden
• hidden
• midden
• ridden
• swidden
• gramicidin
• overridden

Kids Definition

bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌrid-ᵊn 

: forced to stay in bed especially by illness or weakness

Medical Definition

bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌrid-ᵊn 

variants also bedrid

-ˌrid 

: confined to bed (as by illness)