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Synonyms

contagion

American  
[kuhn-tey-juhn] / kənˈteɪ dʒən /

noun

  1. the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact.

  2. a disease so communicated.

  3. the medium by which a contagious disease is transmitted.

  4. harmful or undesirable contact or influence.

  5. the ready transmission or spread as of an idea or emotion from person to person.

    a contagion of fear.
contagion British  
/ kənˈteɪdʒən /

noun

  1. the transmission of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect contact

  2. a contagious disease

  3. another name for contagium

  4. a corrupting or harmful influence that tends to spread; pollutant

  5. the spreading of an emotional or mental state among a number of people

    the contagion of mirth
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
contagion Scientific  
/ kən-tā′jən /

  1. The transmission of an infectious disease resulting from direct or indirect contact between individuals or animals.

  2. A disease that is transmitted in this way.

  3. The agent that causes a contagious disease, such as a bacterium or a virus.

Other Word Forms

  • contagioned adjective
  • noncontagion noun

Etymology

Origin of contagion

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin contāgiōn- (stem of contāgiō ) contact, infection, equivalent to con- con- + tāg- (variant stem of tangere to touch) + -iōn- -ion; contact

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.

Banks are being hit with fears of contagion from private-credit losses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Ducournau wants to illustrate how fear itself can be a deadly contagion, a reality anyone who lived through those terrible times already knows too well.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

“If recession, oil price shock, and/or contagion fears continue to mount, a tier 2 ‘growth scare’ drawdown in the 14% to 20% range is a distinct possibility,” she cautioned.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Nonetheless, the contagion effect from AI into the bond market has been abrupt and “started getting real” within the past two weeks.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

They climbed the nearest tree and searched for the vine that would carry them to the next tree in a contagion that would take them nearly to the compound.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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.