morbid
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
having or showing an unhealthy interest in unpleasant things, especially death.
characterized by an abnormal or unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, particularly death and decay.
Simple“He has a morbid fascination with true crime stories and old cemeteries.”
In context“The public's morbid curiosity regarding the details of the accident was reflected in the sensationalist headlines of the morning tabloids.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
suggesting the horror of death; dark and unpleasant.
suggesting the physical or psychological horror of death; grisly or gruesome in nature.
Simple“The artist's later paintings were filled with morbid images of skeletons.”
In context“The novel was criticized for its morbid atmosphere, which many readers found unnecessarily depressing and graphic.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
relating to or caused by a disease.
relating to, affected by, or characteristic of disease; used in technical contexts to describe pathological states.
Simple“The doctor examined the morbid growth to see if it was dangerous.”
In context“The researcher studied the morbid anatomy of the lungs to understand how the virus caused such extensive damage.”
UsageIn modern medicine, this is often found in the term 'morbid obesity', referring to a specific medical classification of weight.
SynonymsAntonymshealthysalubrious
From Latin morbidus (“diseased”), from morbus (“sickness”), itself from the root of morī (“to die”) or directly from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pound, wear away”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.