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

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

• interpandemic
  adjective
• pandemia
  noun
• pandemicity
  noun

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

This discovery reshapes understanding of the First Pandemic by providing clear evidence of large-scale mortality and offering insight into how people lived, moved and became vulnerable within ancient urban environments.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Pandemic trends also drove Shopify to some of the best quarterly performances on record.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

“More cases of H5N1 are occurring in the United States than in any other country,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2025

Pandemic planning and resilience are also about making sure the underlying fundamentals of the country are strong, he added.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025

Pandemic, pan-dem′ik, adj. incident to a whole people, epidemic.—n. a pandemic disease.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various