epidemic 1 of 2

noun

Definition of epidemicnext
1
as in pandemic

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in eruption

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

epidemic

2 of 2

adjective

ˌe-pə-ˈde-mik How to pronounce epidemic (audio)
as in infectious
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others the little girl's giggles were epidemic, and soon the entire gathering was laughing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of epidemic
Noun
Live Healthy Chicago aims to turn 130/80 and 1,000 into a movement transforming a silent epidemic into a celebration of lives saved. — Garth Walker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 Paul Melanson, a POST member and chief of police in Farmington, said an epidemic years ago of thieves stealing cars and catalytic converters from suburban driveways fueled demands that police quickly embrace surveillance technology. — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Adjective
Autism, insulin resistance, and autoimmune diagnoses have reached epidemic proportions. — David Ferry, Wired News, 10 Dec. 2025 From Breath To Burnout The early identification of imbalances caused by chronic stress resonates deeply in our current health climate, where burnout, emotional exhaustion and cognitive fatigue are silently epidemic. — Trisha Swift, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for epidemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epidemic
  1. pandemic
  2. eruption
  3. infectious
  4. plague
  5. explosion
  6. pestilence
  7. upswing
  8. increase
Noun
  • Forty-five percent of adults 30 to 44 say the same; both figures have declined in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of fake food distributors part of the Feeding Our Future fraud ring collectively stole more than $250 million in federal relief funds meant to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of pandemic
Noun
  • If the incoming eruptions interact favorably with Earth's magnetic field, auroras could potentially reach much farther south than currently anticipated.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The scientists ruled out a 2016 volcanic eruption as the cause, given the downward trend had started several years before and has maintained a steady pace across the years.
    — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of eruption
Adjective
  • Epidemiologists consider that eight-day window the infectious period.
    — Rachel Carlson, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The findings serve as a reminder that infectious agents cause cancer, says Anna Giuliano, founding director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer at the Moffitt Cancer Center.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of infectious
Noun
  • The Russian Federation replied on Tuesday, saying no case of plague had recently been reported in the Irkutsk Oblast, in southeastern Siberia, and that about 200 contacts had been placed in quarantine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The infection triggers swollen, painful lymph nodes and can progress to septicemic plague.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of plague
Noun
  • Hastert’s tenure was marked by a shift of power from committee chairmen to GOP leaders, fealty to the Bush administration and an explosion of congressional pet projects known as earmarks.
    — Michael Tarm, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The explosion caused an artificial radiation belt that destroyed several satellites and partially knocked out street lights and phone lines in Hawaii.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of explosion
Noun
  • As famine, war, pestilence and death galloped through, religious thought had been taking on an apocalyptic and self-abnegatory fervor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
  • Some of those tombstones explicitly referred to a pestilence as the cause of death.
    — Marc Zimmer, The Conversation, 12 May 2026
Definition of pestilence
Noun
  • That upswing in pipeline plays received a potential boost Wednesday with the Senate introduction of a bipartisan, infrastructure permitting reform bill that could gain legislative momentum before the end of the year.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In many ways, the doubts about the future of the Olympic movement come at a time when the United States should be preparing for an upswing in participation with the LA Olympics less than two years away.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of upswing
Noun
  • Related Articles After three straight years of organic sales losses, the company returned to the right side of the balance sheet, reporting increases in both net sales and profitability and clearly signaling a turning of the tides.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • India accounted for more than half of the increase in the region’s rights fees since 2021, and 64% of all fees is now concentrated in the 12 most valuable rights packages.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of increase

Browse Nearby Words

epicures
epidemic
epidemics
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Cite this Entry

“Epidemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epidemic. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on epidemic

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about epidemic

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