Synonyms of moribund

moribund

adjective

ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

1

as in dying

nearly dead

with its run-down look and empty aisles, the grocery store appeared moribund

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dying
• fallen
• dead
• gone
• sinking
• fading
• lifeless
• defunct
• at death's door
• deteriorating
• declining
• deceased
• expiring
• demised
• departed
• decadent
• terminal
• passing away
• passed away

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• alive
• live
• existing
• living
• quick
• breathing
• surviving
• animate
• being
• thriving
• flourishing
• booming
• subsisting
• vital
• lively
• energetic
• roaring
• spirited
• animated
• vivacious
• sprightly
• perky
• prospering
• frisky
• peppy
• bouncing
• springy
• jazzy
• zippy
• sprightful

2

as in obsolete

having passed its time of use or usefulness

youngsters snickering at the moribund slang their parents were using

Synonyms & Similar Words

• obsolete
• archaic
• antiquated
• medieval
• rusty
• prehistoric
• defunct
• old
• outmoded
• extinct
• expired
• outdated
• out-of-date
• useless
• outworn
• fossilized
• superannuated
• dated
• discarded
• neolithic
• ancient
• mossy
• Stone Age
• dead
• passé
• antique
• aging
• obsolescent
• moth-eaten
• disused
• kaput
• historic
• late
• démodé
• vintage
• historical
• unusable
• dormant
• vanished
• demoded
• unworkable
• inactive
• inert
• Noachian
• retro
• venerable
• inoperable
• past
• fusty
• inoperative
• idle
• antediluvian
• aged
• latent
• former
• fallow
• erstwhile
• musty
• hoary
• old-time
• bygone
• old-fashioned
• free
• atavistic
• old-world
• age-old
• dateless
• oldfangled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• modern
• current
• new
• contemporary
• recent
• present-day
• fresh
• up-to-date
• newfangled
• ultramodern
• mod
• modernized
• new-fashioned
• operational
• functional
• up-to-the-minute
• active
• workable
• operating
• functioning
• alive
• renewed
• operative
• busy
• operable
• refurbished
• employed
• remodeled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of moribund

Aside from the opening drive, when Michigan cruised 75 yards for a touchdown, and the game-winning heave, the offense was moribund. — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Chesney has actively engaged the campus and community in effort to stir up interest in the moribund program and help increase attendance at the Rose Bowl. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

Mining the moribund annals of art history, the duo create tenderly wrought paintings and drawings that often revisit the aesthetics of the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires, which overtook large swaths of the artists’ native Croatia for centuries. — Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

After not playing against the Lynx, center Laeticia Amihere made the most of her opportunity against the moribund Sky on Friday. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026