morbidity
gb/mɔɹbˈɪdəti/ us/mɔɹbˈɪdəti/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
technical
C1
state
1
illness or medical complications
Illness or health problems caused by a disease, treatment, or risk.
Usage pattern:
morbidity from [disease]; morbidity associated with [condition/treatment]; [adjective] morbidity
Common mistake:
Do not confuse morbidity, which means illness or health problems, with mortality, which means death.
Synonyms
illness (broader everyday word; less technical)
|
disease burden (emphasizes the overall impact of disease)
|
complications (narrower; health problems caused by a condition or treatment)
Antonyms
health (the opposite general condition of being well)
|
wellness (emphasizes positive physical and mental well-being)
Collocations
associated morbidity
|significant morbidity
|high morbidity
|low morbidity
|postoperative morbidity
|cardiovascular morbidity
|psychiatric morbidity
|chronic morbidity
|maternal morbidity
|reduce morbidity
Themes
medicine
|health
|public_health
Examples
- Untreated high blood pressure can cause serious morbidity even when it is not fatal.
- The new surgical technique reduced postoperative morbidity.
- Air pollution is linked to respiratory morbidity in children.
Learner examples
- The vaccine reduces morbidity from the infection.
- Diabetes can cause long-term morbidity.
Noun
technical
C1
quantity
2
rate of disease occurrence
The measured amount of illness in a group of people.
Usage pattern:
morbidity among/in [population]; morbidity rate for [disease]; morbidity per [number] people
Common mistake:
A morbidity rate counts illness, not deaths; a death rate is a mortality rate.
Synonyms
illness rate (plain-language equivalent)
|
disease incidence (usually refers specifically to new cases in a period)
|
disease prevalence (usually refers to existing cases at a particular time)
Antonyms
health (opposite general state, though not a precise statistical antonym)
|
absence of disease (describes a population or person with no illness)
Collocations
morbidity rate
|morbidity data
|morbidity statistics
|age-specific morbidity
|population morbidity
|reported morbidity
|excess morbidity
|disease-specific morbidity
|morbidity trends
|morbidity estimates
Themes
medicine
|public_health
|statistics
|epidemiology
Examples
- The researchers calculated morbidity per 100,000 residents.
- Morbidity among young children declined after clean water became widely available.
- The survey collects morbidity data by age, sex, and region.
Learner examples
- The city measured morbidity during the flu season.
- Morbidity was higher in the older group.
Noun
literary
C2
property
3
morbid or deathly quality
A dark or unhealthy feeling connected with death or disturbing things.
Usage pattern:
the morbidity of [something]; a sense/air/tinge of morbidity
Common mistake:
In everyday speech, people usually say “morbid curiosity” or “a morbid feeling” rather than “morbidity.”
Synonyms
morbidness (direct synonym, but less common)
|
macabre quality (emphasizes a disturbing connection with death)
|
gloom (broader feeling of darkness or sadness)
Antonyms
cheerfulness (opposite mood of brightness or happiness)
|
wholesomeness (opposite quality of being healthy or morally clean)
Collocations
sense of morbidity
|air of morbidity
|tinge of morbidity
|gothic morbidity
|dark morbidity
|unsettling morbidity
|morbidity of the story
|morbidity of the joke
Themes
emotions
|literature
|death
|psychology
Examples
- The play's morbidity comes from its constant return to graves and illness.
- Her cartoons have a strange morbidity that some readers find funny and others find disturbing.
- Critics noted the morbidity of the novelist's imagination.
Learner examples
- The story has a feeling of morbidity.
Grammar
Dictionary form
morbidity
IPA
GB/mɔɹbˈɪdəti/
US/mɔɹbˈɪdəti/
Syllables & stress
mor - bid - ity (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (bid)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: morbidity
- Plural: morbidities, morbidity
Expressions
maternal morbidity
1/mətˈɚnəl mɔɹbˈɪdəti/
fixed phrase
technical
pregnancy-related health problems
Health problems a woman has during or after pregnancy or childbirth.
Examples
- The clinic introduced screening to reduce maternal morbidity.
- Hypertension is a major cause of maternal morbidity worldwide.
- The report separates maternal morbidity from maternal mortality.
morbidity and mortality
1/mɔɹbˈɪdəti ˈænd mɔɹtˈæləti/
fixed phrase
technical
illness and death outcomes
How many people become ill and how many die.
Examples
- Vaccination sharply reduced morbidity and mortality from measles.
- The study examined morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure.
- Better prenatal care can lower morbidity and mortality for both mothers and babies.
morbidity and mortality conference
1/mɔɹbˈɪdəti ˈænd mɔɹtˈæləti kˈɑnfɚəns/
fixed phrase
technical
case-review medical meeting
A doctors' meeting about serious medical cases and deaths.
Examples
- The surgical team discussed the delayed diagnosis at the morbidity and mortality conference.
- Residents are expected to present cases at monthly morbidity and mortality conferences.
- The goal of a morbidity and mortality conference is to learn from errors, not to blame one person.
severe maternal morbidity
1/sɪvˈɪɹ mətˈɚnəl mɔɹbˈɪdəti/
fixed phrase
technical
serious pregnancy complications
Very serious health problems during or after pregnancy or childbirth.
Examples
- Severe maternal morbidity increased during the hospital's busiest months.
- Hemorrhage and sepsis can lead to severe maternal morbidity.
- The program aims to prevent severe maternal morbidity among high-risk patients.