Infodemic

adj, noun, slang

adj, noun, slang ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An excessive amount of information concerning a problem such that the solution is made more difficult. informal

    "[…"

  2. 2
    A wide and rapid spread of misinformation. informal

    "But his inclination to prioritise free speech over moderation would soon become a flashpoint with a White House trying to battle a so-called “infodemic” of online conspiracies about the disease and the vaccine."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Relating to infodemiology. not-comparable

Example

More examples

"But his inclination to prioritise free speech over moderation would soon become a flashpoint with a White House trying to battle a so-called “infodemic” of online conspiracies about the disease and the vaccine."

Etymology

Blend of information + epidemic. Coined by American writer and foreign policy strategist David Rothkopf in 2003 in the context of the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, see quotations.

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