as in infection
sickness that can be passed from one person, plant, or animal to another
Parents are advised to vaccinate their children against contagious diseases.
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Recent Examples of contagious disease
Bird flu was to blame for elevated retail prices during the first five months of 2025, and the course of the highly contagious disease is a big reason why prices are much lower now.
—
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, spreading easily through air droplets, liable to infect up to 90% of unvaccinated people nearby.
—Katie Silver, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
Measles, among the most contagious diseases, is typically the first to infect undervaccinated communities and serves as a warning that other scourges will follow.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
Recognizing this need, the Animal Defense League recently broke ground on a 8,300-square-foot isolation center designed for animals with contagious diseases.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagious disease
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, spreading easily through air droplets, liable to infect up to 90% of unvaccinated people nearby.
—Katie Silver, NPR, 28 Mar. 2026
Measles, among the most contagious diseases, is typically the first to infect undervaccinated communities and serves as a warning that other scourges will follow.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
Recognizing this need, the Animal Defense League recently broke ground on a 8,300-square-foot isolation center designed for animals with contagious diseases.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for contagious disease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagious disease
Noun
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And for reasons that are not yet fully understood, CAR T seems to leave older B cells, which provide immune memory of past infections, intact in some cases.—
Amber Dance,
ArsTechnica,
17 May 2026
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As a results, the outbreak response depends entirely on contact tracing, infection control, Ebola treatment units and safe burial protocols, the same tools that were available during the 2014 West Africa crisis.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Noun
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The virus spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person — alive or dead.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
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But two weeks later, authorities were able to establish that the outbreak was being caused by the rarer Bundibugyo variant of the virus.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Over time, however, the disease has spread across the East Coast and Midwest, with diagnoses reaching 35 states.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
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In later life, this formative programming can increase the risk of not only mental illnesses like depression, but physical diseases too, such as cancer and obesity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Hantavirus is typically spread through contact with infected rodents and can lead to severe respiratory illness, though cases remain rare, according to the WHO.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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Bird flu, also known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is caused by a virus that can result in serious illness and death in birds and mammals.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Contagious disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/contagious%20disease. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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