obese
gb/oʊbˈis/ us/oʊbˈis/
B2
English
~ 9600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
formal
B2
property
1
very overweight in a medical sense
Very fat in an unhealthy way, so that doctors say it is a medical problem.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is obese
Common mistake:
Learners often use "obese" in casual conversation where it can sound too strong or clinical. In everyday speech, people more often say "overweight" because "obese" can feel more serious or negative. Another mistake is using "an obese" as a noun (e.g., *an obese*); it should always be used before a noun ("an obese man") or after a verb like "be" ("He is obese").
Synonyms
overweight (Softer and more common in everyday talk; does not always imply a medical problem.)
|
fat (More informal and often felt as rude or hurtful; not a medical term.)
|
corpulent (Formal and old-fashioned; mainly used in written or literary English.)
Antonyms
slim (Describes a pleasantly thin and healthy-looking body.)
|
thin (General opposite of fat; can sound neutral or sometimes unhealthy depending on context.)
|
underweight (Medical term meaning too light for one’s height, sometimes in an unhealthy way.)
|
lean (Suggests low body fat and good muscle; has a positive, healthy tone.)
Collocations
clinically obese
|morbidly obese
|severely obese
|dangerously obese
|obese children
|obese patients
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Nearly one in five children in the country is now classified as obese.
- The doctor warned him that if he became obese, his risk of diabetes would rise sharply.
- Public health campaigns aim to reduce the number of obese adults through diet and exercise programs.
- She was surprised to learn from the chart that she was technically obese, even though she did not feel very large.
- Obese patients often need special equipment when undergoing surgery.
Learner examples
- My doctor says I am obese and need to lose weight.
- Many obese people have problems with their heart.
- The report shows that more and more children are obese.
- He became obese after many years of eating fast food.
- Obese adults have a higher risk of getting sick.
Grammar
Dictionary form
obese
IPA
GB/oʊbˈis/
US/oʊbˈis/
Syllables & stress
obese (1 syllable)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: obese
Word family
Core family
obesity
noun B2
Related words
overweight
adjective B1
Negative and opposite forms
underweight
adjective
Advanced or less common
obesogenic
adjective
Expressions
clinically obese
1/klˈɪnɪkli oʊbˈis/
fixed phrase
technical
obese by medical standards
Obese according to doctors’ official rules, usually based on your BMI or other medical tests.
Examples
- According to her body mass index, she is clinically obese.
- The study found that 30% of the participants were clinically obese at the start of the program.
- He does not feel very big, but his doctor says he is clinically obese.
morbidly obese
1/mˈɔɹbədli oʊbˈis/
fixed phrase
technical
extremely obese with high health risk
Very extremely obese, in a way that is very dangerous for a person’s health.
Examples
- The surgeon explained that weight-loss surgery is usually offered only to patients who are morbidly obese.
- Being morbidly obese can lead to serious conditions such as heart disease and sleep apnea.
- She became morbidly obese after years of emotional eating and little exercise.