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.

---

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

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Meta now faces thousands of lawsuits in state and federal courts alleging that it fueled an epidemic of youth mental illness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

That epidemic led to 75 deaths in California and more than 3,000 hospital admissions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

The epidemic was only officially declared in May, but it is believed the outbreak began at least three months before then, health officials said this week.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

If successful, the strategy could eventually offer a new way to combat an HIV epidemic that still kills about 600,000 people worldwide every year.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

You’d think Rae Chin was some infectious disease, based on the epidemic curiosity about her.

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

In fact, in a crowded field of more than 3,500 mosquito species, Aedes aegypti has been the vector for almost all major epidemics of some of the world’s worst mosquito-borne diseases.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

For many people, plague brings to mind rats, crowded medieval towns, and the devastating epidemics that spread across Europe during and after the Middle Ages.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 18, 2026

Under the program, which Congress created in 1990, qualifying immigrants are permitted to temporarily remain in the U.S. and work legally if their home countries are experiencing armed conflicts, natural disasters or epidemics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

But in 2016 several Balkan nations curtailed major epidemics of the same disease through swift action, mass vaccination and culls in about three months.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

But they both have the power to spark word-of-mouth epidemics.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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