The Articulate Professional online!

- Invigorating and expanding your communications skills
For a more successful, fulfilling life ** Since 1993

Moribund

printer friendly format

(pronounced mawr-uh-bund or mor-uh-bund)  adjective

Definition

1. nearing death or end of existence; about to die.  2. showing no activity or progress; devoid of vitality; inanimate; becoming obsolete

Main Example

• The incident involving the Israeli commando raid against an aid flotilla trying to penetrate the blockade around Gaza, which resulted in several people being killed, has brought into sharp focus the need for reviving the Middle East peace process, which has been quite moribund in recent years.

Workplace Examples

• Our CEO has plenty to crow about. In the three years since he took over, our once-moribund company has become hugely profitable and the orders just keep pouring in.
• There was a time when our monthly lunch-and-learn sessions were so popular that this large room used to be packed! Nowadays, we can barely attract twenty employees. For some reason, the whole idea of doing some serious learning during the lunch break has become moribund.

Other Examples

• in a blog post titled “Indelible Lesson in How Not to Present Yourself in an Interview,” this author comparing recent PBS interviews with Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields, and commenting that in sharp contrast to Fields’s persona, which projected gravitas and inspired viewer confidence in his company, Marchionne looked bored, unenthusiastic, and moribund [see post]
• a brand of apparel that had fallen into decay and been moribund for years making a meteoric comeback thanks to the injection of new and creative talent
• a company offering deep discounts in a bid to reenergize its moribund sales; during periods of a moribund economy, the Federal Reserve coming under pressure to lower interest rates; an organization’s moribund “safety committee” crying out for new leadership
• the insurgency in Iraq which is now moribund, partly because of the killing or capture of top al Qaeda leaders in that country
• According to a CBS “60 Minutes” story, the age-old custom in India of treating those belonging to the lowest caste as “untouchables” shows no sign of becoming moribund, despite that nation’s spectacular technological advances.

© 2010 V.J. Singal
No part of this may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author.

Send a Comment to the Author

This Month's Other Words

To help you sharply enhance your vocabulary

The Articulate Professional -- 3rd Edition
Click here for features and sample pages, or place an order.

Copyright © 1999 - 2010 by V.J. Singal. Articulate is a registered trademark.
Questions or comments may be sent directly to the author.
Phone: 281-463-2500, P.O. Box 841155, Houston, TX 77284-1155