moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

1

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

in the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death

—Norman Cameron

2

: being in a state of inactivity or obsolescence

a moribund virus

a moribund volcano

prune the moribund files from your disk forever

—D. S. Janal

moribundity

ˌmȯr-ə-ˈbən-də-tē 

ˌmär-

noun

Did you know?

Moribund Gets Less Literal

Moribund is still sometimes used in its original literal sense of "approaching death", but it's much more often used to describe things. When the economy goes bad, we hear about moribund mills and factories and towns; the economy itself may even be called moribund. Critics may speak of the moribund state of poetry, or lament the moribund record or newspaper industry.

Synonyms

• dying

Examples of moribund in a Sentence

an actor who is trying to revive his moribund career

The peace talks are moribund.

Recent Examples on the Web

World events had collided with a moribund Congress, forcing the Administration to take a series of unilateral actions. —Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2024

The peace process, moribund under Biden, can be resuscitated and the Abraham Accords expanded to include Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024

Any additional tariffs could further pressure the already moribund economic growth levels across the EU. —Silvia Amaro, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024

Peace talks have been moribund for more than a decade, and support for a Palestinian state among Israelis fell after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that sparked the war. —Tia Goldenberg, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin moribundus, from mori to die — more at murder

First Known Use

circa 1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd 

ˈmär-

: nearly dead

Medical Definition

moribund

adjective

mor·​i·​bund ˈmȯr-ə-(ˌ)bənd, ˈmär- 

: being in the state of dying : approaching death

in the moribund patient deepening stupor and coma are the usual preludes to death

—Norman Cameron