pandemic

American  

[pan-dem-ik] / pænˈdɛm ɪk /

adjective

1. (of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.

2. general; universal.

   pandemic fear of atomic war.

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noun

• pandemics
  plural

1. a disease prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world.

pandemic British  

/ pænˈdɛmɪk /

adjective

1. (of a disease) affecting persons over a wide geographical area; extensively epidemic

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noun

1. a pandemic disease

pandemic Scientific  

/ păn-dĕm′ĭk /

1. An epidemic that spreads over a very wide area, such as an entire country or continent.

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pandemic Cultural  

1. A widespread epidemic affecting a large part of the population.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pandemia
  noun
• pandemicity
  noun
• interpandemic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pandemics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pandemic

First recorded in 1660–70; from Late Latin pandēm(us), from Greek pándēmos “common, public” ( pan- “all” + dêm(os) “the people” + -os adjective suffix) + -ic; see pan-

Explanation

Remember the 2009 swine flu? That was a pandemic — an illness that swept over much of the globe. People fear pandemics, and with good reason. The black plague that ran through Asia and Europe in the 1300s is believed to have killed as much as half of Europe's population, between 75 and 100 million folks. The word comes from ancient Greek — pan (meaning "all") and demos (meaning "people"), or simply put — all the people. Of course, people across the globe suffer from the seasonal flu, and many die from it. But it isn't considered a pandemic because it is generally harmless to the healthy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pandemic pandemics

The pandemic also proved to be a major game-changer for the industry, according to Vaishali Gupta, whose two beauty ventures have witnessed breakneck expansion since their launches during Covid.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Such thefts have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 75,000 incidents reported in 2025, according to industry estimates compiled by the Assn. of American Railroads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Theatergoing is only starting to boast consistent numbers again, taking six years to bounce back from its pandemic freefall.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Since the pandemic recovery, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 has been elevated compared with the rate overall, pointing to softening demand for educated entry-level workers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

And even this enormous force might not have overcome the empire if while Cortes was building his ships Tenochtitlan had not been swept by smallpox in the same pandemic that later wiped out Tawantinsuyu.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The group is also fighting Becker’s bill, which would add war to the list of emergencies — such as natural disasters and pandemics — that can trigger California’s price-gouging laws.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Shockingly, for many years, scientific leaders across the world—including in the U.S.—touted these experiments as a way to reduce the risk of pandemics caused by novel pathogens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Influenza A has also driven multiple pandemics, including the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

History has also taught us that the gods like to dish out nasty surprises every few years: dot-com bubbles, subprime mortgage crises, pandemics, etc.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Nobody knows how many died during the pandemics of the 1770s and 1780s, but even if one had a number it wouldn't begin to tally the impact.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann