Meanings
comparative more morbid · superlative most morbid
- originallyOf, relating to, or afflicted by disease.First known use 1650s
“Enough to make a man morbid, to be stalked by beastly journalists and stared at by gaping moon-faced idiots, wherever he goes!”
1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 127Synonyms: pathological
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf, relating to, or afflicted by disease.
adjectiveTaking an interest in, or fixating on, unhealthy or unwholesome subjects such as death, decay, disease.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivesuggesting an unhealthy mental state
adjectivecaused by or altered by or manifesting disease or pathology
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*mer-der.?
- Latinmorbus
- Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
- Latinmorbidus
- Englishmorbid
From Latin morbidus (“diseased”), from morbus (“sickness”), itself from the root of morī (“to die”) or directly from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pound, wear away”).
More words from Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَرْضِيّ
- مَرْضِيّ (marḍīyy)of or relating to disease
Bulgarian патологичен, мрачен
- патологичен (patologičen)of or relating to disease
- мрачен (mračen)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- меланхоличен (melanholičen)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- ужасен (užasen)grisly, gruesome
Catalan mòrbid
- mòrbidof or relating to disease
Czech chorobný, patologický
- chorobnýof or relating to disease
- patologickýof or relating to disease
- morbidníinterested or fixated on death and decay
- nemocnýunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
Dutch morbide, ongezond
- morbideof or relating to disease
- ongezondof or relating to disease
- ziekof or relating to disease
- ziekelijkof or relating to disease
- morbideunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- ongezondunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- ziekelijkunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- morbidesuggesting the horror of death
- macabersuggesting the horror of death
- morbidegrisly, gruesome
- akeliggrisly, gruesome
- gruwelijkgrisly, gruesome
Finnish sairaalloinen, sairas
- sairaalloinenof or relating to disease
- sairasof or relating to disease
- sairaalloinenunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- sairasunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- kammottavasuggesting the horror of death
- makaaberisuggesting the horror of death
- kammottavagrisly, gruesome
- kauheagrisly, gruesome
- hirveägrisly, gruesome
- järkyttävägrisly, gruesome
French morbide, morbide
- morbideof or relating to disease
- morbidegrisly, gruesome
German morbid, krankhaft
- morbidof or relating to disease
- krankhaftunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
Hebrew מורבידי, מורבידי
- מורבידיunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- מורבידיsuggesting the horror of death
Hungarian beteges, morbid
- betegesunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- morbidunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
Irish galrach
- galrachof or relating to disease
Italian morboso, morboso
- morbosoof or relating to disease
- morbosounhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- raccapricciantesuggesting the horror of death
- raccapricciantegrisly, gruesome
Japanese 病的, 不健全
- 病的 (byōteki)of or relating to disease
- 不健全 (fukenzen)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
Norwegian morbid, morbid
- morbidunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- morbidsuggesting the horror of death
- morbidgrisly, gruesome
Portuguese mórbido
- mórbidounhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
Russian боле́зненный, нездоро́вый
- боле́зненный (boléznennyj)of or relating to disease
- нездоро́вый (nezdoróvyj)of or relating to disease
- ненорма́льный (nenormálʹnyj)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- нездоро́вый (nezdoróvyj)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- омерзи́тельный (omerzítelʹnyj)grisly, gruesome
Spanish mórbido
- mórbidoof or relating to disease
Swedish morbid, makaber
- morbidunhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- makabersuggesting the horror of death
Turkish hastalıksal, patolojik
- hastalıksalof or relating to disease
- patolojikof or relating to disease
Ukrainian патологічний, хворобливий
- патологічний (patolohičnyj)of or relating to disease
- хворобливий (xvoroblyvyj)of or relating to disease
- нездоровий (nezdorovyj)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- хворий (xvoryj)unhealthy or unwholesome, especially psychologically
- жахливий (žaxlyvyj)grisly, gruesome
Cite this entry
morbid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morbid
“morbid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morbid. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “morbid,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/morbid.
Source: morbid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.