morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbi-də-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being morbid

especially : an attitude, quality, or state of mind marked by excessive gloom

… there must have been some strange morbidity in his nature which made him take a grim pleasure in self-torture.

—Somerset Maugham

2

: a diseased state or symptom : ill health

Parasitic protozoans and helminths represent two major groups of infectious agents that are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations.

—Adel A. F. Mahmoud

also : a complication or undesirable side effect following surgery or medical treatment

Because laryngectomy results in substantial functional morbidity, including the loss of the natural voice … alternative forms of treatment have been developed.

—The New England Journal of Medicine

3

: the incidence of disease : the rate of illness (as in a specified population or group)

Because the young lack immune capability, the morbidity of viral upper respiratory diseases often reaches 100 percent of kittens in a litter or household.

—Margaret Reister

also : the incidence of complications or undesirable side effects following surgery or medical treatment

… radical prostatectomy in this setting … is associated with a very high morbidity.

—Phillip W. Kantoff

Examples of morbidity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What we are left with to determine the impact of climate change on health is a dense body of scientific research that uses various statistical estimations to calculate excess morbidity and mortality. —Ashley Ward, STAT, 16 Aug. 2023

The inequalities between black and white Americans are documented in rates of morbidity and infant mortality, wealth, and unemployment, which attest that although race may be a biological fiction, its reality is seen in what is likely to happen in our lives. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2023

All in all, heart disease currently costs the country roughly US $219 billion per year, not to even begin accounting for the layers of personal loss these morbidity and mortality statistics conceal. —IEEE Spectrum, 14 July 2023

Black women in Massachusetts experienced the highest severe maternal morbidity rates over a 10-year period 2020201920182017201620152014201320122011020010050150Blacknon-HispanicBlacknon-HispanicAsian/PInon-HispanicAsian/PInon-HispanicHispanicHispanicWhitenon-HispanicWhitenon-Hispanic Source: Mass. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2023

Each of these contributes to adverse outcomes, morbidity, and mortality. —Time, 30 June 2023

Across ages, researchers note, Black non-Hispanic women had the highest rates of severe maternal morbidity. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 July 2023

Maternal morbidity is the term used to describe short- or long-term health problems that result from pregnancy. —Heidi Fantasia, The Conversation, 21 June 2023

These groups are also at greater risk of poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as maternal morbidity and mortality, preterm births, and late entry into prenatal care. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 21 June 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbid-ət-ē 

plural morbidities

1

: the quality or state of being morbid

2

: the rate at which a disease occurs in a group of individuals

Medical Definition

morbidity

noun

mor·​bid·​i·​ty mȯr-ˈbid-ət-ē 

plural morbidities

1

: a diseased state or symptom : ill health

Parasitic protozoans and helminths represent two major groups of infectious agents that are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations.

—Adel A. F. Mahmoud, Nature

also : a complication or undesirable side effect following surgery or medical treatment

Because laryngectomy results in substantial functional morbidity, including the loss of the natural voice … alternative forms of treatment have been developed.

—The New England Journal of Medicine

2

: the incidence of disease : the rate of illness (as in a specified population or group)

Because the young lack immune capability, the morbidity of viral upper respiratory diseases often reaches 100 percent of kittens in a litter or household.

—Margaret Reister, Cat Fancy

also : the incidence of complications or undesirable side effects following surgery or medical treatment

… radical prostatectomy in this setting … is associated with a very high morbidity.

—Phillip W. Kantoff, Scientific American Medicine

compare mortality sense 2