# mortality

/mɔɹˈtæɫəti/ (US) · /mɔːtˈælɪti/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mortality
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. the state of being mortal

noun · CEFR B2

the fact that you will eventually die and cannot live forever.

For teachers: the condition of being subject to death; the finite nature of human or biological existence.

- After his 80th birthday, he began to think more about his own mortality.
- The poet explores the theme of human mortality, contrasting our brief lives with the enduring beauty of the natural world.

Usage: Often used in philosophical or personal contexts regarding the end of life.

### 2. death rate

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

the number of deaths that happen in a particular period or among a particular group of people.

For teachers: the relative frequency of deaths in a specific population; often expressed as a statistical rate.

- The country has seen a significant drop in infant mortality over the last decade.
- Epidemiologists noted a sharp increase in mortality among the elderly population during the unusually harsh winter months.

Usage: Commonly appears in the compound 'mortality rate'.

Teaching tip: This sense is very common in news reports about health, medicine, and sociology.

### 3. humanity collectively

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

a word for all human beings, because we all eventually die.

For teachers: human beings considered collectively as mortal creatures.

- The old stories tell of a time when the gods walked among mortality.
- The king believed himself superior to the rest of mortality, forgetting that he too was bound by the laws of nature.

Usage: Used as a collective noun, often in older literature.

Teaching tip: Modern speakers rarely use this; it is mostly found in 18th or 19th-century texts.

## Examples

- The accident made him think about his own mortality.
- Improved healthcare and better nutrition have significantly lowered infant mortality in the region over the last decade.
- The poet explores the theme of human mortality by contrasting the fleeting nature of life with the enduring beauty of the natural world.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.