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
Toni Armani’s hit is contagious, and so is this line dance inspired by it.
—
Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
Hudson probably crosses the line too often — like during his spring OTA fist fight with Brian Burns — but the tackle’s aggressiveness also feels contagious.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 July 2025
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on Earth.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 31 July 2025
The risk to most people is low, and the disease is not contagious, the agency said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 4 Aug. 2025
Hudson probably crosses the line too often — like during his spring OTA fist fight with Brian Burns — but the tackle’s aggressiveness also feels contagious.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 28 July 2025
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on Earth.
—Erika Edwards, NBC news, 31 July 2025
The risk to most people is low, and the disease is not contagious, the agency said.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagious
Adjective
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Probiotics may decrease the duration of diarrhea and can reduce the length of hospital stays associated with infectious diarrhea.1 Evidence from a meta-analysis showed that probiotics can help improve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).—
Jessica Swirble,
Verywell Health,
5 Aug. 2025
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That helps determine when and where the person was infectious.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
5 Aug. 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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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
Cite this Entry
“Contagious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagious. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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