as in epidemics
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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Recent Examples of pandemics
Sam Altman, of OpenAI, has claimed that generative AI could bring about the end of human civilization, and that AI poses a risk of extinction on a par with nuclear warfare and global pandemics.
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Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2023, a committee assembled by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that, without greater investment in a strategic monkey reserve, the United States would struggle to combat future pandemics and to compete with China.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Over the course of human evolution, there were pandemics, there were wars, but people didn't die from Alzheimer's disease or diabetes or heart disease.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Biotech safeguards our national security by bolstering agriculture and energy production and protecting us from pandemics and bioterrorism.
—Sen. Todd Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
People who feel greater meaning in life are often more resilient against larger mental health problems that might arise from adverse events such as global pandemics, severe disease and war trauma, research has shown.
—Anthony Vaccaro, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2025
In a decade defined by shocks—pandemics, conflicts, trade wars—Europe’s promise of consistency matters.
—Jessica Jurkschat, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Researchers claim affordable, nutritious meat alternatives are needed to reduce reliance on industrial farming, lower carbon emissions and health risks, and help prevent future pandemics tied to livestock.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Market conditions change, competitors emerge, technologies disrupt and global pandemics happen.
—Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2023, a committee assembled by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that, without greater investment in a strategic monkey reserve, the United States would struggle to combat future pandemics and to compete with China.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Over the course of human evolution, there were pandemics, there were wars, but people didn't die from Alzheimer's disease or diabetes or heart disease.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
Biotech safeguards our national security by bolstering agriculture and energy production and protecting us from pandemics and bioterrorism.
—Sen. Todd Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
People who feel greater meaning in life are often more resilient against larger mental health problems that might arise from adverse events such as global pandemics, severe disease and war trauma, research has shown.
—Anthony Vaccaro, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2025
In a decade defined by shocks—pandemics, conflicts, trade wars—Europe’s promise of consistency matters.
—Jessica Jurkschat, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Researchers claim affordable, nutritious meat alternatives are needed to reduce reliance on industrial farming, lower carbon emissions and health risks, and help prevent future pandemics tied to livestock.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Market conditions change, competitors emerge, technologies disrupt and global pandemics happen.
—Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pandemics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pandemics. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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