mortality
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the fact that you will eventually die and cannot live forever.
the condition of being subject to death; the finite nature of human or biological existence.
Simple“After his 80th birthday, he began to think more about his own mortality.”
In context“The poet explores the theme of human mortality, contrasting our brief lives with the enduring beauty of the natural world.”
UsageOften used in philosophical or personal contexts regarding the end of life.
SynonymsfinitenesshumanityAntonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the number of deaths that happen in a particular period or among a particular group of people.
the relative frequency of deaths in a specific population; often expressed as a statistical rate.
Simple“The country has seen a significant drop in infant mortality over the last decade.”
In context“Epidemiologists noted a sharp increase in mortality among the elderly population during the unusually harsh winter months.”
UsageCommonly appears in the compound 'mortality rate'.
Teacher's tipThis sense is very common in news reports about health, medicine, and sociology.
Synonymsfatality ratedeath toll - 03 C2 Proficiency
a word for all human beings, because we all eventually die.
human beings considered collectively as mortal creatures.
Simple“The old stories tell of a time when the gods walked among mortality.”
In context“The king believed himself superior to the rest of mortality, forgetting that he too was bound by the laws of nature.”
UsageUsed as a collective noun, often in older literature.
Teacher's tipModern speakers rarely use this; it is mostly found in 18th or 19th-century texts.
Usage mortality rate · mortality rates
“Researchers estimate that mortality rates among patients with the condition are more than twice that of the general population.”
“In the protected environment of the park, mortality among the carnivores is largely driven by natural dynamics: wolves killing each other.”
From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.