adjective
morbid
MOR-bid/ˈmɔːrbɪd/
Relating to disease or an unhealthy condition.
The bystander's morbid fascination with the covered body disturbs his companion.
Etymology
Latin morbidus meant “diseased.” The description shifted from physical illness to supposedly unwholesome mental states, giving the modern sense of an unhealthy fascination with death or disturbing subjects.
In context
On one extreme, you might have someone who is really morbid. They're really into dead bodies or really interested in death.
More examples
- The scan reveals morbid changes in the liver.
- The physician links these symptoms to an underlying morbid condition.
- Morbid obesity increases the risk of heart disease.
Forms
morbid
morbidity noun — The presence of disease in a population.
Similar words
- pathological
- Specifically concerns disease processes or the changes they cause.
- diseased
- Describes something actually affected by disease, not merely related.
- unhealthy
- Broader term for poor health or conditions that harm it.