as in virus
sickness that can be passed from one person, plant, or animal to another
The rumors spread like a contagion.
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Recent Examples of contagion
Regulatory gridlock and defective CDC tests stalled surveillance, allowing the contagion to spread unchecked for six crucial weeks.
—
Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
France and Spain, therefore, need not fear any contagion of revolution reaching their shores from the Americas.
—Frederic J. Fransen, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Neutrality allowed the nation to build strength, expand westward, and avoid the ideological contagions sweeping the continent.
—Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagion
Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
France and Spain, therefore, need not fear any contagion of revolution reaching their shores from the Americas.
—Frederic J. Fransen, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Neutrality allowed the nation to build strength, expand westward, and avoid the ideological contagions sweeping the continent.
—Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagion
Noun
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Your daughter is at school cutting alphabet shapes out of paper when the virus enters her bloodstream.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Those issues included the BK virus, a flu-like polyomavirus, which resulted in both cellular and antibody rejection.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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As a small rural settlement is swiftly and ruthlessly stripped bare by the twin plagues of a diphtheria epidemic and spreading wildfires, the film eventually descends into a near-literal hellscape, though even when pandemonium takes over on screen, Van Dusen’s formal control never wavers.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Published in 1842, Poe’s story follows Prince Prospero, who retreats with a group of nobles into a fortified abbey as a deadly plague ravages the countryside.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For those gray, dreary Berlin February days, the Berlinale this year is offering a colorful fever dream of a cinematic antidote courtesy of Pakistan.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Listeria most frequently causes short-term symptoms in healthy individuals, like fever, nausea, and abdominal pain, but is particularly dangerous to pregnant women.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contagion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagion. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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