COMMUNICABLE Synonyms: 9 Similar and Opposite Words

communicable

adjective

kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl

Definition of communicable

as in infectious

capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another communicable diseases that are usually transmitted sexually

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of communicable This is the only way metrics become communicable at scale. — Big Think, 20 Feb. 2026 Measles is one of the most highly communicable infections. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026 Contractors working on the project recently completed pouring the foundation for what will provide smaller housing units meant to make quarantining detainees with communicable illnesses safer and easier. — Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025 This misconception tends to be due to the rise in influenza and other communicable respiratory infections in the colder months. — Patty Weasler, Rn, Verywell Health, 9 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for communicable

Recent Examples of Synonyms for communicable

Adjective

Epidemiologists consider that eight-day window the infectious period.

— Rachel Carlson, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
The findings serve as a reminder that infectious agents cause cancer, says Anna Giuliano, founding director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer at the Moffitt Cancer Center.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of infectious

Adjective

Sepsis can lead to a number of different complications, and Woodhouse developed infective endocarditis — an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.

— Adam England, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026
The team confirmed that those eggs developed into infective third-stage larvae.

— Jay Kakade August 05, Refractor, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of infective

Adjective

Measles is one of the most transmissible infectious diseases.

— Sheldon H. Jacobson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
That's a key sign of a transmissible cancer, researchers said, a rare phenomenon in which cancer cells survive outside their original host and spread to another animal.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 28 July 2026

Definition of transmissible

Browse Nearby Words

communes

communicable

communicant

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Communicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/communicable. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of communicable

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perseverate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes