obese

adjective

ō-ˈbēs How to pronounce obese (audio)
Synonyms of obesenext
: having excessive body fat

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of obese in a Sentence

providing medical treatment for obese patients the basset hound was so obese that its stomach touched the floor
Recent Examples on the Web The downside of the United States right now is that 60% of our population is overweight or obese. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 May 2024 In our own country, the prevalence of individuals who are either overweight or obese (defined as a body mass index of greater than 25 and 30, respectively) is approaching 75%. —David Sherer, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for obese 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'obese.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin obēsus "fat, stout," past participle of *obedere, perhaps meaning originally "to gnaw," from ob- "against" + edere "to eat" — more at ob-, eat entry 1

Note: Etymologically obēsus should mean "thin, emaciated," if the sense of the unattested verb *obedere was "to eat away, gnaw," as implied by its components. The Roman writer Aulus Gellius (Noctes Atticae 19.7.3) pointed this out and adduced a passage from the poet Laevius (who is known only from a handful of quotations from his works made by other authors), where the word apparently has the meaning "wasted." Presumably the word went reanalysis after the extinction of the verb. The grammarian Pompeius Festus construed the derivation phrasally as "made fat as if as a result of eating" ("pinguis quasi ob edendum factus").

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of obese was in 1651

Dictionary Entries Near obese

oberrealschule

obese

obesity

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Cite this Entry

“Obese.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obese. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.

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Kids Definition

obese

adjective
ō-ˈbēs How to pronounce obese (audio)
: very fat
obesity
ō-ˈbē-sət-ē
noun

Medical Definition

obese

adjective
ō-ˈbēs How to pronounce obese (audio)
: having excessive body fat : affected by obesity

More from Merriam-Webster on obese

Nglish: Translation of obese for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of obese for Arabic Speakers

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