pandemic 1 of 2

Definition of pandemicnext
as in epidemic
medical an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world The 1918 flu pandemic claimed millions of lives. the AIDS pandemic

Related Words

Relevance

pandemic

2 of 2

adjective

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 pandemic
Noun
The Magnificent Mile was abandoned by many retailers during the pandemic, but lately has attracted new businesses, including many that provide customers with experiences alongside the sale of goods. Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 Wall Street and private equity firms also saw the upside in studio lot infrastructure at the time, which was not too far removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, when office space was seen as a shakier bet. Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
In Texas, Florida, and Colorado, active inventory solidly exceeds pre-pandemic 2019 levels, Lambert wrote, because the Sunbelt overbuilt. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026 The problem is especially acute in the city of Chicago, where the number of homes for sale remains roughly 55% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Zillow. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pandemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pandemic
Noun
  • Douglas Hiatt, a longtime Seattle marijuana defense attorney, recalled the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s, when police regularly raided grow operations designed to support patients.
    Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
  • When the drug haze occasionally lifts, Susie follows the bizarre serial killings of homeless opioid addicts in Los Angeles and fights with her father, attorney for Dick Sickler, whose pharmaceutical firm is largely responsible for the nation’s drug epidemic.
    Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Since then, prices for many games have been raised further, sparking widespread outrage.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Following its premiere, the musical quickly became a cultural phenomenon, earning widespread critical acclaim and sweeping the 2016 Tony Awards with 11 wins, including Best Musical, while also taking home the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Grammy Award.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The swearing is certainly not pervasive, though, and only occurs here and there; there are large stretches of the film that are totally clean language-wise.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Mavromatis, who was hired in 2022 as its head of Instagram, described a pervasive climate of discrimination and harassment, according to the lawsuit.
    Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • People first began coming to the barrier island town in 1830, when it was established as North Carolina's first tourist colony by a planter who wanted to get his family away from the malaria that was so prevalent in his home fields.
    Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
  • The anxiety about finances is so prevalent right now.
    Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen cut their teeth as part of the Rams organization, learning from GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay.
    Mark Long, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Economic strain is routine, and budgets are rife with limitations.
    CNN Staff, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
  • But analysts say the pivot is rife with problems.
    Nithin Coca, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Our real estate data comes from public records that have been registered and digitized by local county offices.
    Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The potential schedule change could further complicate a public-private project that has encountered steady resistance since it was announced two years ago.
    Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The group noted the projection was revised upward from an earlier estimate owing to an additional year in the budget window and higher prevailing interest rates.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Likewise, prevailing concepts of Hamlet at the time cast the prince as a wan and melancholic, leading critics to bristle at Bernhardt’s energy.
    Betsy Golden Kellem, JSTOR Daily, 18 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pandemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pandemic. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pandemic

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster