as in spreading
exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others
an infectious giggle that got the whole class laughing
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Recent Examples of infectious
Her enthusiasm for the arts in form and history is infectious.
—
Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Over the course of WBC pool play, the world outside of Kansas City got an introduction to Pasquantino’s infectious personality — one perfectly suited for his role as a captain.
—Maria Torres, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
After two cases were detected at the University of Florida at Gainesville, for instance, health-department officials performed contact tracing, ultimately reaching some 1,000 people, Fred Southwick, an infectious-disease specialist at the university, told me.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
There’s plenty of profit to be made off the infectious enthusiasm for the game and the frills that the flush player can furnish their setup with, but while the new crop of mahj-centric entrepreneurs are gaining, is anyone losing?
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infectious
Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Over the course of WBC pool play, the world outside of Kansas City got an introduction to Pasquantino’s infectious personality — one perfectly suited for his role as a captain.
—Maria Torres, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2026
After two cases were detected at the University of Florida at Gainesville, for instance, health-department officials performed contact tracing, ultimately reaching some 1,000 people, Fred Southwick, an infectious-disease specialist at the university, told me.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
There’s plenty of profit to be made off the infectious enthusiasm for the game and the frills that the flush player can furnish their setup with, but while the new crop of mahj-centric entrepreneurs are gaining, is anyone losing?
—Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infectious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infectious
catching
Adjective
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The rest of the group stayed back, practicing in Wellesley and catching games on television in a Boston Sports Institute lounge.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Catcher Rodolfo Duran, who is hoping to push Luis Campusano for the second catching job as a non-roster invitee, went 2-for-3 with his first home run of the spring.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infectious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infectious. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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