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

Statewide morbidity data would provide us with a window into the conditions that could teeter into tragedy. —Antonio Reynoso, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025

In 2021, she was appointed as one of the 28 members on the Massachusetts Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health, which investigates and identifies solutions to reduce or eliminate racial inequalities in maternal mortality and morbidity across Massachusetts. —Eva Epker, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Although mortality and morbidity rates were high, some patients saw significant improvements. —Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025

Smoking is still, in 2025, the leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in America. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for morbidity

• acidity
• aridity
• avidity
• cupidity
• fluidity
• humidity
• liquidity
• lucidity
• placidity
• rancidity
• rapidity
• rigidity

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