communicable
Americanadjective
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capable of being easily communicated or transmitted.
communicable information; a communicable disease.
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talkative; communicative.
adjective
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capable of being communicated
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(of a disease or its causative agent) capable of being passed on readily
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of communicable
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin commūnicābilis, equivalent to commūnicā ( re ) ( see communicate) + -bilis -ble
Explanation
A cold is a communicable disease, i.e. it's contagious, so you can pass it on to others. If you are a politician, your basic message should be communicable or communicated easily to others. Whether a cold or a message, think of transmitting something when using the word communicable. In this word, you might see communicate, commune, and community. All of these words come from the Latin root communicare which means "to share." When something is communicable it is easily shared with a community of people.
Vocabulary lists containing communicable
Power Suffix: -able
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Running Out of Time
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The Underground Railroad
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last week, Australia's Chief Medical Officer Prof Michael Kidd declared diphtheria a communicable disease incident of national significance.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Newsom said joining the WHO-led consortium would enable California to respond faster to communicable disease outbreaks and other public health threats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026
The one good thing that came from that time was tons of data about what works to prevent communicable illnesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025
“We have had multiple dairies refuse a site visit,” wrote the communicable disease program manager in Weld, Colorado, in a July 2 email.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2024
When an epidemic of mumps broke out in the school, Katie went into action against communicable diseases.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
