1
as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another
chicken pox, measles, German measles, and other contagious diseases
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spreading
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others
the enthusiasm of the new club members was contagious
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of contagious
Their joy was radiant, effortless and contagious.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Advertisement The disease also proved to be as contagious as feared.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
With the new school year beginning, health officials also urge families to make sure everyone is up to date on their vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine, which remains the most effective defense against the highly contagious respiratory virus.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
Their worldview that being on the right side of history doesn’t necessitate being humorless scolds turned out to be a contagious one that has since found its way into stand-up.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Advertisement The disease also proved to be as contagious as feared.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 25 Aug. 2025
With the new school year beginning, health officials also urge families to make sure everyone is up to date on their vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine, which remains the most effective defense against the highly contagious respiratory virus.
—Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025
Their worldview that being on the right side of history doesn’t necessitate being humorless scolds turned out to be a contagious one that has since found its way into stand-up.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagious
Adjective
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Team productivity decreases across the board, and worse, disengagement becomes infectious.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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This year has also seen the largest measles outbreak since the highly infectious virus was declared eliminated from the country in 2000.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
3 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Contagious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagious. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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