mortality

noun mor·tal·i·ty \ mȯr-ˈta-lə-tē \

|Updated on: 24 Jun 2018

Examples: mortality in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Thoughts On mortality

Definition of mortality

1 : the quality or state of being mortal

Her husband's death reminded her of her own mortality.

2 : the death of large numbers (as of people or animals)

trying to reduce infant mortality

3 archaic : death

4 : the human race

that natural extinction to which all mortality is subject
—Thomas Paine

5 a : the number of deaths in a given time or place

The mortality among the infected mounted daily.

b : the proportion of deaths to population

a brain infection with a mortality rate of about 30 percent
—Jane E. Brody

c : the number lost or the rate of loss or failure

the mortality rate of small businesses

See mortality defined for English-language learners

See mortality defined for kids

Examples of mortality in a Sentence

a leading cause of mortality

Recent Examples of mortality from the Web

Methadone treatment expansion for Medicare and Medicaid: A recent study found methadone to be the most effective drug in reducing mortality related to opioid addiction, followed by buprenorphine.

— lev facher, STAT, "What’s in the House’s bills to address the opioid crisis — and what’s not," 21 June 2018
Both Jones and Thomas have played through many injuries and are approaching 30, so football mortality can play in too.

— albert breer, SI.com, "For Andrew Luck, It All Re-Starts Here," 18 June 2018
Because for him, mortality has become a driving force.

— jen gann, The Cut, "Watching My Husband Become a Weird Dad," 14 June 2018
Consuming high levels of all fats cut mortality by up to 23 percent, the study found.

— katie parsons, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Ketogenic diet popular for weight loss," 13 June 2018
Between June 1967 and the 1994 creation of the Palestinian Authority, infant mortality declined dramatically in the Palestinian territories, life expectancy greatly increased and the economy expanded remarkably.

— WSJ, "Younger Evangelicals on Israel and Palestine," 11 June 2018
What audiences find most endearing in the character, aside from his wit and jovial nature, is his love of life, which is in short supply in Hanks' portrayal, undercutting the dramatic impact of later scenes in which mortality looms large.

— jordan riefe, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Henry IV': Theater Review," 9 June 2018
But they’re generally considered very safe: One 2012 report found that mortality and complication rates for both gastric bypass and sleeve procedures were lower than those generally associated with gallbladder or hip replacement surgery.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "12 People Have Died After Trying This Popular Weight-Loss Procedure. Here's What You Should Know," 7 June 2018
The report did not include a map of wolf packs or details on wolf mortality over the last year.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: With at least 900 wolves in the state, it's time to gauge public attitudes again," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mortality.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thoughts On mortality

Young people tend to assume they will never die, but a person's sense of his or her mortality generally increases year by year, and often increases greatly after a serious accident or illness. Still, many people refuse to change behaviors that would improve their chances of living into old age. Mortality rates are calculated by government agencies, insurance companies, and medical researchers. Infant mortality rates (the rate at which infants die in childbirth) provide a good indicator of a country's overall health; in recent years, the rates in countries like Iceland, Singapore, and Japan have been much better than in the U.S.

First Known Use of mortality

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

MORTALITY Defined for English Language Learners

mortality

noun

Definition of mortality for English Language Learners

: the quality or state of being a person or thing that is alive and therefore certain to die : the quality or state of being mortal
: the death of a person, animal, etc.
: the number of deaths that occur in a particular time or place