Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Confined to bed (by illness or infirmity): Describes a person who is unable to leave their bed due to sickness, disability, or frailty. It implies a state of being forced to stay in bed for an extended period.

Usage

• The adjective bedridden is used to describe a person's condition. It is typically placed before a noun (e.g., a bedridden patient) or used after a linking verb like "is," "was," or "became."
• It is a formal or medical term, often used in healthcare contexts.

Examples

• After her hip surgery, my grandmother was bedridden for six weeks.
• The flu epidemic left many elderly people bedridden.
• He became bedridden following a severe stroke.
• Caring for a bedridden relative requires patience and dedication.

Advanced Usage

• "to be rendered bedridden": to be made bedridden.
  • The accident rendered him completely bedridden.
• "bedridden state": the condition of being confined to bed.
  • The disease often leads to a prolonged bedridden state.

Variants and Related Words

• Bedfast (adj): A less common synonym for bedridden, meaning confined to bed.
• Housebound (adj): Confined to one's house, but not necessarily to bed. This is a related but broader term.
• Invalid (n/adj): Can refer to a person made weak or disabled by illness or injury; an invalid may or may not be bedridden.

Synonyms

• Confined to bed
• Laid up (informal)
• Immobilized

Antonyms

• Ambulatory: Able to walk about.
• Mobile: Capable of moving or being moved freely.
• Up and about: Out of bed and active.

Related Phrases

• Bedridden patient: The most common collocation, used in medical and caregiving contexts.
• Bedridden with [illness]: Used to specify the cause.
  • She was bedridden with pneumonia.

Adjective

1. confined to bed (by illness)