1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of disease
morbid anatomy
b
: affected with or induced by disease
a morbid condition
c
: productive of disease
morbid substances
2
: abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or unwholesome feelings
morbidly
adverb
morbidness
noun
Synonyms
- black
- bleak
- cheerless
- chill
- Cimmerian
- cloudy
- cold
- comfortless
- dark
- darkening
- depressing
- depressive
- desolate
- dire
- disconsolate
- dismal
- drear
- dreary
- dreich [chiefly Scottish]
- elegiac
- elegiacal
- forlorn
- funereal
- gloomy
- glum
- godforsaken
- gray
- grey
- lonely
- lonesome
- lugubrious
- miserable
- morose
- murky
- plutonian
- saturnine
- sepulchral
- solemn
- somber
- sombre
- sullen
- sunless
- tenebrific
- tenebrous
- wretched
Examples of morbid in a Sentence
Some of the material has been disclosed before, but it is wonderful to have the quotations from President Nixon and his aides gathered here in all their morbid splendor.
—
Anthony Lewis, New York Review of Books, 7 Apr. 2005
Danger can be sexy, but morbid proselytizing is a real buzzkill.
—Emily Gordon, Nation, 5 May 1997
She suffered from a morbid streak which in all the life of the family reached out on occasions—the worst occasions—and touched us, clung around us, making it worse for her; her unbearable moments could find nowhere to go.
—Eudora Welty, One Writer's Beginnings, 1983
She has a morbid interest in funerals.
He has a morbid sense of humor.
a morbid fascination with death
wanting to learn about a celebrity's downfall out of morbid curiosity
suffering from a morbid condition
The child has a morbid fear of snakes.
Anthony Lewis, New York Review of Books, 7 Apr. 2005
Danger can be sexy, but morbid proselytizing is a real buzzkill.
—Emily Gordon, Nation, 5 May 1997
She suffered from a morbid streak which in all the life of the family reached out on occasions—the worst occasions—and touched us, clung around us, making it worse for her; her unbearable moments could find nowhere to go.
—Eudora Welty, One Writer's Beginnings, 1983
She has a morbid interest in funerals.
He has a morbid sense of humor.
a morbid fascination with death
wanting to learn about a celebrity's downfall out of morbid curiosity
suffering from a morbid condition
The child has a morbid fear of snakes.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a somewhat morbid twist, Bryon was not the only Bee Gees drummer to die this month.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
As that night unfolded with a kind of morbid curiosity — was this really happening?
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
Ask Insensitive Questions This is one time to keep your morbid curiosity to yourself.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024
The Real Fungal Threats These diverse morbid partnerships – relationships that lead to death – were formed and refined over millions of years of evolutionary time.
—Matt Kasson, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for morbid 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2024
As that night unfolded with a kind of morbid curiosity — was this really happening?
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024
Ask Insensitive Questions This is one time to keep your morbid curiosity to yourself.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 3 Nov. 2024
The Real Fungal Threats These diverse morbid partnerships – relationships that lead to death – were formed and refined over millions of years of evolutionary time.
—Matt Kasson, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for morbid
Articles Related to morbid
Dictionary Entries Near morbid
Cite this Entry
“Morbid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morbid. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Medical Definition
morbid
adjective
mor·bid
ˈmȯr-bəd 
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of disease
b
: affected with or induced by disease
a morbid condition
morbid alteration of tissues
c
: productive of disease
morbid substances
2
: abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or unwholesome feelings
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share