Synonyms of spreading

spreading 1 of 2

adjective

as in infectious

exciting a similar feeling or reaction in others

spreading enthusiasm that got our club rolling again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• infectious
• catching
• epidemic
• contagious
• tangible
• perceptible
• overwhelming
• overpowering
• irresistible
• winning
• palpable
• inviting
• fetching
• endearing
• disarming
• winsome

spreading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of spread

1

as in disseminating

to cause to be known over a considerable area or by many people

spread the news!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disseminating
• propagating
• circulating
• broadcasting
• transmitting
• imparting
• dispensing
• diffusing
• communicating
• radiating
• conveying
• passing (on)
• dispersing
• scattering
• sprawling
• sowing
• dissipating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hiding
• concealing
• holding (in)
• obscuring
• masking
• secreting
• limiting
• restricting
• containing
• shrouding
• enshrouding
• cloaking
• veiling

2

as in applying

to put a layer of on a surface

we spread the fertilizer over the lawn evenly until it was fully covered

Synonyms & Similar Words

• applying
• smearing
• laying
• sheeting
• coating
• laying on
• layering
• plastering
• slathering
• dabbing
• anointing
• daubing
• covering
• blanketing
• surfacing
• overlaying
• besmearing
• overspreading
• bedaubing
• overlying
• mantling
• carpeting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposing
• stripping
• peeling
• uncovering
• baring

3

as in circulating

to become known

once news of the war's end had spread, spontaneous celebrations broke out everywhere

Synonyms & Similar Words

• circulating
• unfolding
• breaking
• telling
• revealing
• coming out
• developing
• leaking (out)
• getting out
• getting around
• disclosing
• outing
• getting about
• getting round
• spilling
• transpiring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suppressing
• hiding
• concealing
• masking
• disguising
• hushing (up)
• secreting

4

as in transmitting

to cause (something) to pass from one to another

living conditions that help to spread chicken pox

Synonyms & Similar Words

• transmitting
• giving
• conveying
• propagating
• disseminating
• communicating
• imparting
• transferring
• conducting
• delivering
• diffusing
• transfusing
• broadcasting
• infecting
• contaminating
• surrendering
• turning over
• handing over
• poisoning
• handing down
• handing on

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• catching
• contracting
• coming down (with)

5

as in separating

to go or move in different directions from a central point

the walls of the old barn spread under the weight of the snow on the roof

Synonyms & Similar Words

• separating
• dividing
• parting
• diverging
• retreating
• forking
• scattering
• branching (out)
• distributing
• dispersing
• dissipating
• dispelling
• broadcasting
• sowing
• disbanding
• receding
• distancing
• bestrewing
• clearing out
• breaking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• joining
• converging
• meeting
• gathering
• assembling

6

as in increasing

to become greater in size, extent, volume, amount, or number

dissatisfaction with the new administration is spreading rapidly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• increasing
• rising
• expanding
• accelerating
• swelling
• multiplying
• climbing
• accumulating
• intensifying
• proliferating
• waxing
• snowballing
• enlarging
• mushrooming
• escalating
• gaining
• mounting
• ballooning
• burgeoning
• booming
• surging
• jumping
• rolling up
• appreciating
• heightening
• building up
• skyrocketing
• rocketing
• inflating
• redoubling
• peaking
• distending
• puffing (up)
• bulking
• cresting
• blowing up
• crescendoing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• decreasing
• diminishing
• contracting
• lessening
• receding
• waning
• dwindling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of spreading

Verb

The study is ongoing, but interim results found the treatment, Intismeran, met ​both its primary target of reducing cancer recurrence and its secondary ⁠goal of keeping cancers from spreading to other parts of the body. — CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Getty Images As wildfires sweep Europe and North America, falsehoods about their causes and the nature of climate change are spreading like, well, wildfire. — David Vetter, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

The treatment also reduced the risk of the cancer spreading to distant parts of the body. — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

Newspapers in Arabic, Urdu and Persian, published in cities such as Bombay, now Mumbai, Calcutta, or Kolkata, Istanbul, London and Cairo helped in spreading religious and political ideas across the globe. — Mimi Hanaoka, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026

The wildfire started Saturday in Lassen County before spreading into Sierra County and Washoe County, prompting thousands of evacuations north of Reno. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Murakami said the market has become noticeably more international, with younger collectors, the holy grail among art dealers and auction houses, entering the category and demand spreading well beyond Japan. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

However, the situation didn't start spreading until a user, Michael Love, on Bluesky shared his account of the moment. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026