epidemic

American  

[ep-i-dem-ik] / ˌɛp ɪˈdɛm ɪk /

adjective

1. Also epidemical (of a disease) affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent.

2. extremely prevalent; widespread.

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noun

epidemics plural

1. a temporary prevalence of a disease.

2. a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something.

   an epidemic of riots.

epidemic British  

/ ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk /

adjective

1. (esp of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area

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noun

1. a widespread occurrence of a disease

   an influenza epidemic

2. a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, esp something unpleasant

   an epidemic of strikes

epidemic Scientific  

/ ĕp′ĭ-dĕm′ĭk /

1. An outbreak of a disease or illness that spreads rapidly among individuals in an area or population at the same time.

2. See also endemic pandemic

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epidemic Cultural  

1. A contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely among the population in an area. Immunization and quarantine are two of the methods used to control an epidemic.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• epidemicity
  noun
• preepidemic
  noun
• interepidemic
  adjective
• epidemically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• epidemics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of epidemic

First recorded in 1595–1605; obsolete epidem(y) (from Late Latin epidēmia, from Greek epidēmía “staying in one place, among the people,” equivalent to epi- epi- + dêm(os) “people of a district” + -ia -y ³ ) + -ic

Explanation

An epidemic is a disease that spreads rapidly among many people in a community at the same time. In the 1980s, the fast-spreading AIDS epidemic transformed life on our planet. Epidemic can be used figuratively to refer to something that spreads or grows rapidly: an epidemic of laziness has taken over the tenth grade. This word is from French épidémique, ultimately from Greek epidēmia "staying in one place, among the people." The related word pandemic refers to a disease that spreads throughout an entire country or throughout the world.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

epidemic epidemics

“Loneliness is an epidemic among both young people and older people. Living together helps bring different energy, skills and opportunities into the space that we wouldn’t normally have. It helps counter stereotypes.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

Last year’s tally was the highest in a single year since the devastating 1989-91 measles epidemic, which resulted in more than 55,000 cases and 166 suspected deaths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

In the 2018-20 epidemic, the second deadliest on record, it took 10 months for Ebola cases to reach that mark.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Health workers fighting the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are threatening to strike over unpaid wages, as the World Health Organization warned Tuesday the extent of the epidemic could be four times larger than reported.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Farmer began paying closer attention to Russia, to wherever there was the specter of a possible epidemic.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Before the development of preventive vaccines, polio epidemics left many young patients unable to walk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

At first glance, Villarreal may seem like a small fish, her case representing a tiny story in the larger picture of journalists all over the country covering wars, epidemics, and global economic policy.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

It estimates that some 240 million people -- in conflict zones, suffering from epidemics, or victims of natural disasters and climate change -- are in need of emergency aid.

From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025

Such mixing could reshape seasonal influenza, triggering "chaotic and unpredictable seasonal epidemics".

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

All these numbers are at best rough approximations, but their implications are clear: the epidemics killed about one out of every five people on earth.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• contagion
• outbreak
• pest
• plague
• rash
• scourge
• spread
• wave