pandemic 1 of 2

noun

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

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pandemic

2 of 2

adjective

as in widespread

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Dissimilar 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 pandemic
Noun
The invocation came amid years of congressional investigations and hearings scrutinizing his handling of the pandemic. — John C. Besley, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026 During the pandemic, with people stuck at home, buying shifted online and by phone, and sales did tremendously well across all categories. — Hok-Hang Cheung, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
But on the back of the hot economy, the on-the-ground reality is rents in New York have grown significantly since the pandemic, more than counterbalancing the 2022-2023 increases in interest rates and thus mortgage payments. — Remy Raisner, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Companies that stopped issuing forecasts during the pandemic and never restarted weren’t a random sample. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pandemic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pandemic
  1. epidemic
  2. widespread
  3. pervasive
  4. prevalent
  5. general
  6. rife
  7. public
  8. prevailing
Noun
  • Sure enough, the more popular the show, the bigger the epidemic of pedophilia seems to grow.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The scale traces the epidemic as Lewis’s community suffered and dwindled.
    — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of epidemic
Adjective
  • Given the then-widespread assumption that the Greek and Roman past was superior to the present in all aspects of life (except perhaps religion), Renaissance scholars and creators strove to imitate classical antiquity.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Washington recently took a stake in a firm — run by a former Venezuelan government contractor who faces widespread corruption accusations — in an effort to tap the world’s largest oil reserves and tame fuel prices at home.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of widespread
Adjective
  • In outline, these are elegant Bond-villain machines for faceless, leaderless, pervasive espionage and assassination, the stuff of paranoid nightmares and stochastic violence.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • There have been growing complaints about blight at the site, including homeless people living there, pervasive graffiti and skateboarders using it as a playground.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of pervasive
Adjective
  • Based on prior studies, Kingham says, tislelizumab appears to be most effective in patients with a specific genetic signature - a signature that is three times more prevalent in Nigeria than in the US.
    — Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In Vermont, federal researchers are hoping to save American elm trees by infecting young saplings with the fungal disease that has nearly exterminated the tall, once prevalent, East Coast trees.
    — Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of prevalent
Adjective
  • Shelley served as the Warriors’ associate general counsel and director of business and legal affairs and risk management, and Vasquez was the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Israel Defense Forces captured Hamas' head of general security during a raid in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of general
Adjective
  • In a country where poverty is rife and malnutrition strikes the most vulnerable, such income losses can be critical.
    — ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The impetus for this work, according to the researchers, is that drug-resistant bacteria are rife and growing.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rife
Adjective
  • The build-up to that tie was dominated by a public row with another of his own team’s players, this time French attacker Allan Saint-Maximin.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Moon opposes your ruler Pluto, creating tension between public responsibilities and private concerns.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 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

Browse Nearby Words

pancakes
pandemic
pandemics
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Cite this Entry

“Pandemic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pandemic. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pandemic

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pandemic

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