communicable
Americanadjective
-
capable of being easily communicated or transmitted.
communicable information; a communicable disease.
-
talkative; communicative.
adjective
-
capable of being communicated
-
(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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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.
Lower respiratory infections, the world's most deadly communicable disease, came fourth.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Ferrer said the county depends on nearly $1 billion in federal funding annually to track and prevent communicable diseases and combat chronic health conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
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
However, as fewer people died from communicable diseases, more deaths were due to chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease — the same health issues we see today.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2025
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
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
