obese

adjective

ō-ˈbēs How to pronounce obese (audio)
Definition of obesenext
as in plump
having an excess of body fat the basset hound was so obese that its stomach touched the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of obese In 2024, Wegovy secured FDA approval to lower the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in overweight or obese adults without diabetes. — Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 In addition to being arbitrary, reductionist, and biased, classifying individuals as obese or overweight based on a single number ignores many complexities about body fat. — Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026 Existing research shows that obese women face discrimination in the labor market. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 About 72% of adults age 20 and older are overweight or obese, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data as of August 2023. — Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for obese
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obese
  1. plump
  2. fat
  3. overweight
  4. round
Adjective
  • Interiors are simple—there’s just a huge double bed, a daybed, and plump floor cushions.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Readers rave about the flavorful combination of fresh apples, plump, juicy raisins, and cinnamon.
    — Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of plump
Adjective
  • When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • While typically flushed out within a day, a small amount can build up in fat tissue with daily exposure.
    — Tracy Middleton, Allure, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of fat
Adjective
  • JPMorgan reiterates Meta as overweight JPMorgan raised its price target on Meta to $940 per share from $920 following earnings.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Smoking and certain conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and Covid-19, can raise the risk of clots, as can atrial fibrillation and being overweight or obese.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of overweight
Adjective
  • Atlanta won 46 games a year ago and then took two more in a first-round, best-of-7 series against the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
  • According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sphere is a solid figure that is completely round, with every point on its surface an equal distance from the center.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of round

Browse Nearby Words

obelisks
obese
obesity
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Obese.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obese. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All