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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of contagious
The birds were identified to have H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a highly contagious virus that has circulated in wild and domestic birds across North America since 2021, according to DATCP.
—
Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal airborne virus that can affect people of any age and cause an array of complications, including deafness, blindness and brain inflammation.
—Stephanie Innes, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Best protection against measles is the MMR vaccine Measles is highly contagious and can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the CDC said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Conversely, the rooms can be configured to draw air in to contain contaminants from contagious patients, such as those who may have tuberculosis or another transferable illness, according to hospital officials.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Measles is a highly contagious and potentially fatal airborne virus that can affect people of any age and cause an array of complications, including deafness, blindness and brain inflammation.
—Stephanie Innes, AZCentral.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Best protection against measles is the MMR vaccine Measles is highly contagious and can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the CDC said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Conversely, the rooms can be configured to draw air in to contain contaminants from contagious patients, such as those who may have tuberculosis or another transferable illness, according to hospital officials.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contagious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for contagious
Adjective
-
Underpinning all his goofiness was an utterly sincere and infectious confidence and belief in A Complete Unknown, and a genuine desire to share it with as many people as possible.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
8 Oct. 2025
-
The vaccine is made from an inactivated virus, which means the virus is not infectious.—
Ashley Wong,
Health,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share