in·fec·tious

[in-fek-shuhs]
adjective
1.
communicable by infection, as from one person to another or from one part of the body to another: infectious diseases.
2.
causing or communicating infection.
3.
tending to spread from one to another: infectious laughter.
4.
Law. capable of contaminating with illegality; exposing to seizure or forfeiture.
5.
Obsolete, diseased.
Origin:
1535–45; infect(ion) + -ious

Related forms
in·fec·tious·ly, adverb
in·fec·tious·ness, noun
non·in·fec·tious, adjective
non·in·fec·tious·ly, adverb
non·in·fec·tious·ness, noun
un·in·fec·tious, adjective
un·in·fec·tious·ly, adverb
un·in·fec·tious·ness, noun

Can be confused: contagious, infectious (see synonym study at contagious).

Synonyms
1. catching. See contagious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Infectious is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
infectious (ɪnˈfɛkʃəs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  Compare contagious (of a disease) capable of being transmitted
2.  (of a disease) caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or protozoa
3.  causing or transmitting infection
4.  tending or apt to spread, as from one person to another: infectious mirth
5.  international law
 a.  tainting or capable of tainting with illegality
 b.  rendering liable to seizure or forfeiture
 
in'fectiously
 
—adv
 
in'fectiousness
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

infectious in·fec·tious (ĭn-fěk'shəs)
adj.

  1. Capable of causing infection.

  2. Caused by or capable of being transmitted by infection.

  3. Caused by a pathogenic microorganism or agent.

in·fec'tious·ness n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
infectious   (ĭn-fěk'shəs)  Pronunciation Key 
Capable of causing infection. See Note at contagious.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
It will retrofit a building with new air filters, to keep infectious germs from
  spreading.
Today, about one in three people worldwide dies of infectious disease.
Most human infectious diseases originated in animals.
Against those defects, the book's enthusiasm is infectious.
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