obesity

noun

obe·​si·​ty ō-ˈbē-sə-tē 

: a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body

Obesity affects not just appearance, but disease processes as well.

—Malorye Allison

Synonyms of obesity

• fatness
• fat
• weight
• adiposity
• corpulence

Examples of obesity in a Sentence

obesity has been linked to a number of health risks, such as heart disease

Recent Examples on the Web

Enjoy, and see you soon… A flood of cheap copies of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug in India is already reshaping the country’s fast-growing obesity medicine market, showing how quickly the patent cliff will affect GLP-1 makers like Eli Lilly, Bloomberg News explains. —Ed Silverman, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026

The study is interesting as a computer science paper, but the methods and findings don’t stand up to medical scientific scrutiny, says Yuval Pinto, MD, an obesity and family medicine doctor at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 10 Apr. 2026

Signs vary from low muscle tone and feeding problems in babies to hunger that can't be satisfied and obesity in early childhood. —Brandi Jones, Health, 9 Apr. 2026

Behind the scenes, your gut microbiome is diversifying, which research links to stronger immunity and lower risk for chronic conditions like obesity and diabetes. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French obesité, borrowed from Latin obēsitāt-, obēsitās, from obēsus "fat, stout" + -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at obese

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing obesity

• anti-obesity

Medical Definition

obesity

noun

obe·​si·​ty ō-ˈbē-sət-ē 

plural obesities

: a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body and that in an adult is typically indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater