contagion
Americannoun
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the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact.
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a disease so communicated.
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the medium by which a contagious disease is transmitted.
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harmful or undesirable contact or influence.
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the ready transmission or spread as of an idea or emotion from person to person.
a contagion of fear.
noun
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the transmission of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect contact
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a contagious disease
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another name for contagium
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a corrupting or harmful influence that tends to spread; pollutant
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the spreading of an emotional or mental state among a number of people
the contagion of mirth
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The transmission of an infectious disease resulting from direct or indirect contact between individuals or animals.
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A disease that is transmitted in this way.
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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.
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
However, some on Wall Street believe these concerns are overblown, and represent a contagion of fear.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
A viral thought experiment by Citrini Research foretelling mass white-collar unemployment, cratering consumer spending and financial contagion tapped into deep anxieties about the technology both on Wall Street and among the broader public.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 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
It is that steeped and dyed with repellent contagion!
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
