PANDEMIC Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

pandemic 1 of 2

noun

Definition of pandemic

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

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pandemic

2 of 2

adjective

as in widespread

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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 movie houses closed at the onset of the pandemic in 2020. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026 That law sent nearly $2 trillion to communities to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. — Alfredo Reyes Jr, Mercury News, 21 July 2026

Adjective

The senator recently released more than 1,000 pages of Fauci’s personal records, including his pandemic-era diary, and several batches of documents pertaining to the origins of the coronavirus. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026 But the definition of gain-of-function covers both general research and especially risky experiments that enhance the ability of potential pandemic viruses to spread or cause severe disease in humans. — Lauran Neergaard, Fortune, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pandemic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pandemic

Noun

The county attorney presented a plan to sue several big pharma companies for the deceptive marketing practices that triggered the opioid epidemic, following the pattern established by lawsuits filed against tobacco companies starting in the 1990s.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
The book examines how Black Jamaican women living with HIV transformed responses to the epidemic through political advocacy, community care, and grassroots organizing, offering lessons that extend far beyond a single disease.

— Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of epidemic

Adjective

New Zealand’s biosecurity minister has warned that the country will follow a similar path, should a widespread outbreak occur.

— Todd Symons, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s move followed widespread protests triggered by the removal of the country’s popular, young defense minister, who spearheaded an embrace of technology in the war against Russia, helping shift the tide in Kyiv’s favor.

— J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of widespread

Adjective

Perhaps the most prevalent example of this was California's Proposition 22 in 2020.

— Paxton Honerkamp, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026
That has not, though, prevented a nagging sense of nervousness among the fanbase — something that has been prevalent in previous years as well.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of prevalent

Adjective

With Robertson in the lineup heading into training camp, general manager Jim Nill now has some options.

— Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 22 July 2026
With multiple companies able to utilize general intelligence similarly, what will differentiate your firm from another will be the ability of your model to understand the work that needs to be done.

— TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of general

Adjective

Speculation was rife; one unproven theory was that someone had heated the sensor with a hairdryer.

— Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
The returnees have strained local communities, many of which already have scant resources in a country where poverty is rife and malnutrition stalks the most vulnerable.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026

Definition of rife

Adjective

For more than a decade, India’s leader Narendra Modi has seemed politically unassailable, presiding over a government that has outmaneuvered opponents, dominated public discourse and squeezed the space for dissent in the world’s biggest democracy.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
If a person is charged in the case, Becchina said, their identify and the charges will become public.

— Eric Adler July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026

Definition of public

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

Definition of prevailing

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pancakes

pandemic

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“Pandemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pandemic. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pandemic

noun

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

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