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

Holding, pushing, shoving, jostling and grappling inside the penalty area became something of an epidemic in the Premier League last season.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

"Every death like that points to a chain of transmission we have not yet found," he said, warning that "until every chain is found and broken, the epidemic will continue".

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

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

There was also a national measles epidemic between 1989 and 1991, which, according to a study published by the CDC, led to 166 suspected measles deaths and more than 11,000 hospitalizations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

She used to tell about a Confederate soldier from Cold Sassy who got sent to Andersonville to guard Yankee prisoners and passed away in the smallpox epidemic there.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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

At first glance, Villarreal may seem like a small fish, her case representing a tiny story in the larger picture of journalists all over the country covering wars, epidemics, and global economic policy.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

The TPS program gives provisional work authorization and protections from deportation to hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries experiencing armed conflicts, natural disasters or epidemics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026

He said Yemenis would be "very vulnerable to epidemics" this year, warning: "A humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a risk to the Arabian Peninsula. Cholera, measles and polio cross borders."

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

This was New York City in the 1980s, a city in the grip of one of the worst crime epidemics in its history.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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