pandemic

1 of 2

adjective

pan·​dem·​ic pan-ˈde-mik 

1

: occurring over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affecting a significant proportion of the population

pandemic malaria

The 1918 flu was pandemic and claimed millions of lives.

2

: characterized by very widespread growth or extent : epidemic entry 1 sense 3

a problem of pandemic proportions

pandemic

2 of 2

noun

plural pandemics

1

: an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease

a global pandemic

Influenza pandemics seem to strike every few decades and to kill by the million—at least 1m in 1968; perhaps 100m in the "Spanish" flu of 1918-19.

—The Economist

2

: an outbreak or product of sudden rapid spread, growth, or development : epidemic entry 2 sense 2

We have been talking about the pandemic of racism for centuries.

—Roger Griffith

Nobel-prize winning economist Robert Shiller warns a pandemic of fear could tip the economy into an undeserved depression.

—Stephanie Landsman

Usage of Endemic, Epidemic, and Pandemic

This trio of terms describes various degrees of an infectious disease's spread. The process begins with an outbreak—a sudden rise in the presence of a disease. An outbreak that can't be stopped or slowed, and in which the disease is spreading rapidly to many people within a localized community or region (such as a single country), is called an epidemic. The word pandemic refers to an epidemic that has gone international: the disease, once localized in scope, now starts to appear in other countries and even on other continents, typically infecting a large number of people in a short amount of time. A pandemic often has significant economic and social ramifications due to its global impact. If a disease lingers for a long time as an epidemic or a pandemic, it may eventually become endemic to an area. The word endemic describes a disease that persists at a consistent level within a region with fairly predictable rates of infection and spread, making it easier to prevent future outbreaks. Epidemic, pandemic, and endemic all share the Greek root dêmos, meaning "district, country, people."

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?

An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time. A pandemic is a kind of epidemic: one which has spread across a wider geographic range than an epidemic, and which has affected a significant portion of the population.

When does an outbreak become a pandemic?

An outbreak is “a sudden rise in the incidence of a disease” and typically is confined to a localized area or a specific group of people. Should an outbreak become more severe, and less localized, it may be characterized as an epidemic. If it broadens still further, and affects a significant portion of the population, the disease may be characterized as a pandemic.

What are some examples of pandemics?

There have been a number of pandemics since the beginning of the 20th century: the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, the Spanish flu of 1918/19 (which did not originate in Spain), as well as flu pandemics in 1957 and 1968, and now the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2019. Among the best known pandemics is the Black Death, a plague which spread across Asia and Europe in the middle of the 14th century.

Examples of pandemic in a Sentence

Noun

… globalization, the most thoroughgoing socioeconomic upheaval since the Industrial Revolution, which has set off a pandemic of retrogressive nationalism, regional separatism, and religious extremism. —Martin Filler, New York Review of Books, 24 Sept. 2009

… it also hopes to utilize this cultural investigation to better understand strategies to reduce the massive pandemic we now understand cigarette smoking to produce. —Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007

There is evidence that this gambling pandemic is going global. —Gerri Hirshey, New York Times Magazine, 17 July 1994

In ten years that it raged, this pandemic took or ravaged the lives of nearly five million people before it disappeared, as mysteriously and suddenly as it had arrived, in 1927. —Oliver Sacks, Awakenings, 1973

The 1918 flu pandemic claimed millions of lives.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But Hancock’s constantly restless artistic spirit, coupled with the 2020 pandemic shutdown, led him to reevaluate things in a major way. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, San Carlos Apache College in Arizona has faced the unique challenge of coming of age during the pandemic era. —Matt Krupnick, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024

That’s part of the reason why consumer spending has been so robust since the economy ascended from pandemic depths, despite high inflation and elevated interest rates. —Bryan Mena, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024

Read More: How Extreme Heat Will Impact India’s Election During his second term, Modi’s government struggled with COVID-19 pandemic mismanagement, high levels of unemployment, and increasing attacks against minorities and critics of the government. —Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Look, many California businesses are still recovering from the harsh business restrictions of the pandemic era. —Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024

Due to pandemic delays, Gropman spent nearly two years in Italy between scouting and filming. —Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024

Following the pandemic closures, some theaters shut down for good, while others teetered. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

It: Philips has made everything from beard trimmers to light bulbs to baby bottles and, since the pandemic, cordless water flossers (yay). —Annie Blackman, Allure, 2 Apr. 2024

Noun

Globally, passenger traffic in 2023 grew by 27% from 2022 to reach nearly 94% of 2019 results, with domestic travel rebounding more quickly from the pandemic — growing by 20% from 2022 to reach almost 97% of 2019 levels. —Marnie Hunter, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024

The lifelong New Yorker, who didn’t want to get involved with men much beyond her borough, ended up moving to Massachusetts during the pandemic, just months after their first date. —Maggie Jones Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Ottman immediately got to work re-shaping the story with the writers, before the Covid-19 pandemic stalled the project once again. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024

Yet when foot traffic on and around campuses diminished due to online classes during the pandemic, crime dropped precipitously in 2020. —Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024

On Thursday, after a fairly quiet lunch hour at Kin Thai Street Eatery in the city’s midtown — which is slowly recovering from a loss of bustle during the pandemic — a lifelong A’s fan and Sacramento native working the counter had high hopes for his favorite team’s arrival. —Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024

At Nebraska Indian Community College, with three campuses on or near the Omaha and Santee reservations, the pandemic more than doubled native enrollment, according to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, while the number of non-native students increased nearly twelvefold. —Matt Krupnick, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024

The once largely seasonal crime grew during the pandemic, when trips to stores were difficult, and has since become far more common throughout the year in D.C. and elsewhere. —Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024

In recent years, most hotel guests were tourists visiting nearby Universal Studios, but that dried up in the pandemic, and the hotel has been shuttered since then. —Jenna Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Greek pándēmos "of all the people, public, common, (of diseases) widespread (in galen)" (from pan- pan- + -dēmos, adjective derivative of dêmos "district, country, people") + -ic entry 1 — more at demo-

Noun

noun derivative of pandemic entry 1, after epidemic entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pandemic

1 of 2 adjective

pan·​dem·​ic pan-ˈdem-ik 

: occurring over a wide area and affecting many individuals

pandemic malaria

pandemic

2 of 2 noun

: a pandemic outbreak of a disease

Medical Definition

pandemic

1 of 2 adjective

pan·​dem·​ic pan-ˈdem-ik 

: occurring over a wide geographic area (as multiple countries or continents) and typically affecting a significant proportion of the population

pandemic malaria

pandemic influenza

pandemic

2 of 2 noun

: an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease