moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

1

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

In the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death.

—Norman Cameron

2

: being in a state of inactivity or obsolescence

a moribund virus

a moribund volcano

prune the moribund files from your disk forever

—D. S. Janal

moribundity

ˌmȯr-ə-ˈbən-də-tē 

ˌmär-

noun

Did you know?

Moribund Gets Less Literal

Moribund is still sometimes used in its original literal sense of "approaching death", but it's much more often used to describe things. When the economy goes bad, we hear about moribund mills and factories and towns; the economy itself may even be called moribund. Critics may speak of the moribund state of poetry, or lament the moribund record or newspaper industry.

Synonyms of moribund

• dying

Examples of moribund in a Sentence

an actor who is trying to revive his moribund career

The peace talks are moribund.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nearly eight weeks after it was agreed to, Trump’s peace plan remains in a moribund state. —Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2025

The main culprit for Pittsburgh’s loss was its moribund offense, which managed to gain only 166 total yards. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Dec. 2025

As part of any agreement, the government and the opposition must work together to revive Venezuela’s moribund economy. —Francisco Rodríguez, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2025

Now a company called Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in one of several tech industry investments to power data centers with nuclear energy, would build a plant to renew the site’s once moribund test reactor program. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin moribundus, from mori to die — more at murder

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

: nearly dead

Medical Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd, ˈmär- 

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

in the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death

—Norman Cameron