communicable

adjective

com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl 

1

: capable of being communicated : transmittable

communicable diseases

a communicable skin rash

see also communicable disease

2

: communicative

prove myself a gentleman, by being … virtuous and communicable

—Izaac Walton

communicability

kə-ˌmyü-ni-kə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

communicableness

kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl-nəs 

noun

communicably

kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-blē 

adverb

Synonyms

• catching
• contagious
• pestilent
• transmissible
• transmittable

Examples of communicable in a Sentence

communicable diseases that are usually transmitted sexually

Recent Examples on the Web

The new variants of the COVID-19 virus are reported to be very communicable, but weakened in strength — meaning that people are more likely to contract the virus but much less likely to land in the hospital, or even the doctor’s office, as a result of the illness caused by the virus. —Amy Dickinson, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022

The new variants of the COVID-19 virus are reported to be very communicable, but weakened in strength – meaning that people are more likely to contract the virus, but much less likely to land in the hospital – or even the doctor’s office – as a result of the illness caused by the virus. —Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022

The bubonic plague, caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, is believed to be the deadliest of these communicable cataclysms. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2021

In the aughties, indie fans experienced an all-caps-no-vowels craze — MGMT, MSTRKRFT, SBTRKT — as well as the sadistic alt-capping of tUnE-yArDs, which, thankfully, was not communicable. —Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2021

Health care workers are now seeing whole families fall critically ill due to the highly communicable nature of the delta variant and the region’s low vaccination rate. —Juliet Linderman and Claire Galofaro, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing communicable

• communicable disease

• communicable disease

Kids Definition

communicable

adjective

com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl 

: capable of being transferred or carried from one person or thing to another

communicable diseases

communicability

-ˌmyü-ni-kə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

Medical Definition

communicable

adjective

com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl 

: capable of being transmitted from person to person, animal to animal, animal to human, or human to animal : transmissible

communicability

-ˌmyü-ni-kə-ˈbil-ət-ē 

noun

plural communicabilities