infectious
communicable by infection, as from one person to another or from one part of the body to another: infectious diseases.
causing or communicating infection.
tending to spread from one to another: infectious laughter.
Law. capable of contaminating with illegality; exposing to seizure or forfeiture.
Obsolete. diseased.
Origin of infectious
1synonym study For infectious
Other words for infectious
Other words from infectious
- 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
Words that may be confused with infectious
- contagious, infectious (see synonym study at contagious)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use infectious in a sentence
He is just too cool for school in a country desperate for the infectiousness of rejuvenation.
And again, as in the case of Tolstoy and his canon of infectiousness, we must ask, What soul?
Parallel Paths | Thomas William RollestonThe factors which interfere to prevent such wholesale disaster are the same which govern infectiousness throughout the disease.
The Third Great Plague | John H. StokesAnd not only is infection a sure sign of art, but the degree of infectiousness is also the sole measure of excellence in art.
The Kingdom of God is Within You, What is Art | Lyof N. TolstoiThere is one indubitable indication distinguishing real art from its counterfeit, namely, the infectiousness of art.
The Kingdom of God is Within You, What is Art | Lyof N. Tolstoi
But most of all is the degree of infectiousness of art increased by the degree of sincerity in the artist.
The Kingdom of God is Within You, What is Art | Lyof N. Tolstoi
British Dictionary definitions for infectious
/ (ɪnˈfɛkʃəs) /
(of a disease) capable of being transmitted: Compare contagious
(of a disease) caused by microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, or protozoa
causing or transmitting infection
tending or apt to spread, as from one person to another: infectious mirth
international law
tainting or capable of tainting with illegality
rendering liable to seizure or forfeiture
Derived forms of infectious
- infectiously, adverb
- infectiousness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for infectious
[ ĭn-fĕk′shəs ]
Capable of causing infection. See Note at contagious.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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