epidemic
Also ep·i·dem·i·cal . (of a disease) affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent.: Compare pandemic (def. 1).
extremely prevalent; widespread.
a temporary prevalence of a disease.
a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something: an epidemic of riots.
Origin of epidemic
1Other words from epidemic
- ep·i·dem·i·cal·ly, adverb
- ep·i·de·mic·i·ty [ep-i-duh-mis-i-tee], /ˌɛp ɪ dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/, noun
- in·ter·ep·i·dem·ic, adjective
- pre·ep·i·dem·ic, noun, adjective
Words that may be confused with epidemic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use epidemic in a sentence
I am charmed to see a part of your Majesty's Dominions in a state of Pyrrhonism; the disease is epidemical here at present.
History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. XII. (of XXI.) | Thomas CarlyleBayle calls it an epidemical disease in the republic of letters, and poets seem especially liable to this complaint.
Books Fatal to Their Authors | P. H. DitchfieldFamine is almost always followed by epidemical diseases, the effect of scanty and unwholesome food.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire | Edward GibbonThe poor pedler in vain endeavored to stay a ravage that, once begun, became epidemical.
Guy Rivers: A Tale of Georgia | William Gilmore SimmsWe have this year had an epidemical fever, attended with very surprising symptoms.
A History of Epidemics in Britain (Volume I of II) | Charles Creighton
British Dictionary definitions for epidemic
/ (ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk) /
(esp of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area
a widespread occurrence of a disease: an influenza epidemic
a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, esp something unpleasant: an epidemic of strikes
Origin of epidemic
1Derived forms of epidemic
- epidemically, adverb
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 epidemic
[ ĕp′ĭ-dĕm′ĭk ]
An outbreak of a disease or illness that spreads rapidly among individuals in an area or population at the same time. See also endemic pandemic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for epidemic
A contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely among the population in an area. Immunization and quarantine are two of the methods used to control an epidemic.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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