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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of epidemic
Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025
For some people, pandemic lockdowns worsened an ongoing loneliness epidemic that has yet to subside, especially among young people.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
The number of colleges cutting back programs, merging and closing has reached epidemic proportions.
—Scott White, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for epidemic
Adjective
The reason that these infections haven’t triggered a wider epidemic is malaria’s tricky transmission.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2025
For some people, pandemic lockdowns worsened an ongoing loneliness epidemic that has yet to subside, especially among young people.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
More than two millennia later, health officials are paying new attention to this old condition for a startling reason: myopia has reached epidemic levels worldwide.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2024
The number of colleges cutting back programs, merging and closing has reached epidemic proportions.
—Scott White, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for epidemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for epidemic
Adjective
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Engineer’s ‘storytelling is infectious,’ Netflix executive says Rober worked for NASA for nine years, Netflix said.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
20 Aug. 2025
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Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious.—
Daniela Avila,
People.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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During the pandemic, for example, Replika usage surged, with many users describing their AI partners as a lifeline.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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Historically low mortgage rates during the pandemic, combined with a new focus on the domestic space, the rise of remote work, and an emphasis on improving one's life-work balance, led to an explosion in homebuying activity across the country between 2020 and 2022.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Those eruptions happened over tens of thousands of years.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
21 Aug. 2025
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The convective rock currents continue to flow slowly and ripple over millions of years, leading to rare volcanic eruptions that bring diamonds to Earth’s surface or help uplift mountains, the researchers found.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Septicemic plague affects your blood, the Cleveland Clinic said on its website, while pneumonic plague occurs when Y. pestis bacteria gets into your lungs.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
Updated August 21,
Sacbee.com,
21 Aug. 2025
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Removing dyes from the food supply will not address the chief health problems that plague Americans, said Susan Mayne, a Yale University chronic disease expert and former director of the FDA’s food center.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There's also been an explosion of machine identities, known as non-human identities (NHIs), that enterprises have to contend with.—
TK Keanini,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The rapper and actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors and was required to testify against the Bad Boy Records founder in regards to a home invasion and car explosion allegedly linked to Combs.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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While pestilence crept over the walls of cities and the countryside fell into desolation—many foreign conquerors of Europe knew how to fight and plunder but not to plow or sow—the monks preserved words.—
Bernd Roeck
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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In recent years, the censorship and false narratives of woke cancel culture have transformed our great universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent pestilence.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The United States and Canada endured the planet’s biggest air pollution surge in 2023 — an upswing driven by the northern neighbor’s worst wildfire season on record, a report found.—
Sharon Udasin,
The Hill,
28 Aug. 2025
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Put that with a thawing initial public offering (IPO) market and an upswing in mergers and acquisitions (M & A), this fall could turn into one of the best bull markets in history.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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One European country notably looking forward to an increase in Chinese tourists: Italy.—
Russell Flannery,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Though Trump himself has tied crime to a possible increase of federal forces in Chicago, the administration is expected to characterize the surge of law enforcement resources as focused specifically on immigration enforcement, the Associated Press reported.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Epidemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/epidemic. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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