Epidemic

//ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk// adj, noun, slang

adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.

    "At that time, the city [Christiania, now Oslo] was in the grip of a cholera epidemic, and victims were dying at the rate of 60 a day. Bradshaw contracted the disease, and died on September 6 [1853]."

  2. 2
    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time wordnet
  3. 3
    An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a human population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period; an episode of outbreak and subsequent high prevalence.
  4. 4
    A heightened occurrence of anything harmful. broadly, colloquial

    "Even before the pandemic, the United States surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, said the country was experiencing an “epidemic of loneliness,” driven by the accelerated pace of life and the spread of technology into all of our social interactions."

  5. 5
    The spreading of an idea or belief amongst a population. figuratively

    "Lord Avonleigh was at once liberated from his imprisonment, well prepared to be considered, and to consider himself, a martyr to the cause of loyalty; and as the services of the rich nobleman,...his claims to notice and favour were most graciously acknowledged. Accordingly, he returned to his seat in a little fever of royal devotedness—it was the fashionable epidemic; and who coming from Whitehall could be without it?"

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, related to, or being an epidemic: a widespread outbreak of disease in humans.
  2. 2
    Like an epidemic: widespread in a bad way. figuratively

    "Epidemic hysteria occurred upon the incumbent’s reelection."

Adjective
  1. 1
    (especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
epiphytoticepizooticpandemicpestilentialaboundingabundant

Example

More examples

"A serious epidemic has broken out in Beijing."

Etymology

From French épidémique, from épidémie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, reanalysis of plural Late Latin epidēmia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδήμιος (epidḗmios), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). By surface analysis, epi- (“on”) + demic (“of the people”).

Related phrases

epidemic curveepidemic nephropathyepidemic polyarthritisepidemic roseolaepidemic thresholdpost-epidemicpre-epidemicvirgin soil epidemic

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.