rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymortalSubject to death
adjective / noun

mortal

MOR-tuhl/ˈmɔːrtl/

Subject to eventual death.

Both the elderly man and young adult are mortal, sharing the limits of human life.

An elderly East Asian man and a young adult beside a fading flower, quiet human vulnerability and limited lifespan.
Etymology
mortLatindeath
+alLatinrelating to

The death root underlies the Latin adjective meaning “subject to death.” Applied to humans, mortal describes their vulnerability to death rather than an act of dying.

In context

TED-Ed3:54
Immortality skeptics often cite the painful prospect of outliving loved ones as a reason to remain mortal.
If you had the chance to be immortal, would you take it? - Sarah Stroud and Michael Vazquez

More examples

  • Unlike the gods in the story, the hero is mortal.
  • The goddess falls in love with a mortal.
  • We mortals cannot expect to live forever.

Forms

mortal · mortals

mortality noun — The condition of being subject to death.

Similar words

human
Emphasizes belonging to our species rather than eventual death.
person
Identifies an individual without contrasting people with gods.