bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌri-dᵊn 

variants or less commonly bedrid

ˈbed-ˌrid 

: confined (as by illness) to bed

Examples of bedridden in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The storyline, which saw a bedridden Georgie (Montana Jordan) visited by his dead dad, was inspired by similar dreams that series co-creator Chuck Lorre has had of his own father. —Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 27 Feb. 2025

Her mother, who is 77, was bedridden when the hospital went on lockdown. —Maya Eaglin, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025

Pope Francis has pneumonia but remains in 'good spirits,' Vatican says Pope Francis is not bedridden, and he is not attached to any machines, doctors said. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2025

In addition, he was reported to have a bedridden son born with cerebral palsy. —Josh Klein, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English bedrede, bedreden, from Old English bedreda, from bedreda one confined to bed, from bedd bed + -rida, -reda, from rīdan to ride — more at bed entry 1, ride entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bedridden

• unbidden
• bidden
• hidden
• midden
• ridden
• swidden
• gramicidin
• overridden

Kids Definition

bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌrid-ᵊn 

: forced to stay in bed especially by illness or weakness

Medical Definition

bedridden

adjective

bed·​rid·​den ˈbed-ˌrid-ᵊn 

variants also bedrid

-ˌrid 

: confined to bed (as by illness)