as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another
communicable diseases that are usually transmitted sexually
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Recent Examples of communicable
Hanage foresees wastewater analysis being used to track other communicable viruses, like mpox.
—
Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
And necropsy data taken from dead fish samples so far have not turned up any communicable pathogens and the fish were negative for bacterial infections, according to the FWC.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Fear of disease, for example, can be as communicable as the microbes that cause it.
—Catherine Buerger, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
During the war in Yemen, for example, Saudi forces have cut off local populations’ access to clean water and sanitation, placing citizens at high risk for communicable illnesses.
—Marwa Daoudy, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for communicable
Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 4 Oct. 2024
And necropsy data taken from dead fish samples so far have not turned up any communicable pathogens and the fish were negative for bacterial infections, according to the FWC.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Fear of disease, for example, can be as communicable as the microbes that cause it.
—Catherine Buerger, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024
During the war in Yemen, for example, Saudi forces have cut off local populations’ access to clean water and sanitation, placing citizens at high risk for communicable illnesses.
—Marwa Daoudy, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for communicable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for communicable
Adjective
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His infectious enthusiasm for books opened doors to other roles, like being named the new host of Reading Rainbow and the resident librarian at PBS.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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Dustin — a fan-favorite from the very first episode because of his infectious optimism and unapologetic nerdiness — is no exception.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.—
Daniel Taylor,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 July 2024
Adjective
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The challenge is that measles is absurdly transmissible.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
3 Nov. 2025
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His discovery was pretty foundational for understanding transmissible cancers.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Communicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/communicable. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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