What does "mortality" mean?
The state or quality of being mortal.; The state of being susceptible to death.
Mortality
/mɔɹˈtælɪti/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The state or quality of being mortal.; The state of being susceptible to death.
- Grammar: mortality is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: death rate, fatality rate, adam, banefulness.
- Useful contrasts: births, eternal life, godhood.
- Usage evidence: The mortality rate per 1000 live births are set out in figure 13.1.
How to use "mortality"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mortality" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mortality" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mortality" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mortality" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mortality" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "death rate" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mortality", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The state or quality of being mortal.; The state of being susceptible to death. countable, uncountable
"[H]er minde remembreth her mortalitie, / vvhat ſo is fayreſt ſhall to earth returne."
- 2 the quality or state of being mortal wordnet
- 3 The state or quality of being mortal.; The quality of being punishable by death. archaic, countable, uncountable
"[…] actions of Charity do alleviate, as I may say, and take off from the Mortality of the Sin."
- 4 the ratio of deaths in an area to the population of that area; expressed per 1000 per year wordnet
- 5 The state or quality of being mortal.; The quality of causing death. archaic, countable, uncountable
"Hold therefore Angelo: / In our remoue, be thou at full, our selfe: / Mortallitie and Mercie in Vienna / Liue in thy tongue, and heart: Old Escalus / Though first in question, is thy secondary. / Take thy Commission."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The number of deaths; and, usually and especially, the number of deaths per time unit (usually per year), expressed as a rate.; Deaths resulting from an event (such as a war, epidemic or disaster). countable, uncountable
"[…] the Mortality was so great in the Yard or Alley, that there was no Body left to give Notice to the Buriers or Sextons, that there were any dead Bodies there to be bury’d."
- 7 The number of deaths; and, usually and especially, the number of deaths per time unit (usually per year), expressed as a rate.; The number of deaths per given unit of population over a given period of time. countable, uncountable
"In foundling hospitals, and among the children brought up by parish charities the mortality is still greater than among those of the common people."
- 8 Death. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Why am I mockt with death, and length’nd out / To deathless pain? how gladly would I meet / Mortalitie my sentence, and be Earth / Insensible,"
- 9 Mortals collectively. archaic, countable, figuratively, uncountable
"It is not fit Mortalitie should knowe / What his eternall prouidence decreed,"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The mortality rate per 1000 live births are set out in figure 13.1."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mortality"?
Common synonyms include: death rate, fatality rate, adam, banefulness, caducity, changeableness.
How do you use "mortality" in a sentence?
The mortality rate per 1000 live births are set out in figure 13.1.
How do you pronounce "mortality"?
Pronounced /mɔɹˈtælɪti/.
Etymology
From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity.