What does 'morbid' mean?

What does 'morbid' mean?

• A. Cheerful.
• B. Healthy.
• C. Bright.
• D. Gruesome; awful.

Answer: (D)

Morbid describes things that are gruesome, disturbing, or related to death and disease. It often carries a dark or grim sense, as in a fascination with grim topics or scenes. When you see it, think of imagery or subjects that are unsettling, especially those dealing with death or gore. The other words describe positive, light traits—cheerful, healthy, or bright—which don’t connect to death or the macabre, so they don’t fit the sense of the word morbid. That makes morbid the best choice to convey the intended meaning. For example, a morbid interest might involve grim crime stories or gruesome details in a film, where the focus is on the disturbing or unsettling rather than on happiness or vitality.

Morbid describes things that are gruesome, disturbing, or related to death and disease. It often carries a dark or grim sense, as in a fascination with grim topics or scenes. When you see it, think of imagery or subjects that are unsettling, especially those dealing with death or gore.

The other words describe positive, light traits—cheerful, healthy, or bright—which don’t connect to death or the macabre, so they don’t fit the sense of the word morbid. That makes morbid the best choice to convey the intended meaning. For example, a morbid interest might involve grim crime stories or gruesome details in a film, where the focus is on the disturbing or unsettling rather than on happiness or vitality.