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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

That gives the disease a high potential for an epidemic spread or even a global pandemic, but health officials have cautioned we have a long way to go to get to that point.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

But for many years after Dugas died, headlines accused him of being the man solely responsible for the epidemic.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

That’s higher than in any year since a significant nationwide measles epidemic from 1989 to 1991.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

"Post-pandemic, we have seen what's been described as a shoplifting epidemic on the streets of the UK," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

The stagnation that I so fervently glean on a daily basis seems an epidemic that only grows.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

If so, plague was already capable of causing deadly outbreaks in small human communities thousands of years before the rise of cities, crowded settlements, and the flea-driven epidemics that would later make the disease infamous.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

Tung's rocky tenure was marked by the Asian Financial Crisis, two major epidemics, and historic protests which attracted criticism of his administration.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

"Respect for humanitarian personnel and humanitarian activities is essential to ensuring that communities affected by epidemics and other crises continue to receive the assistance and services they urgently need," it said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

In fact, in a crowded field of more than 3,500 mosquito species, Aedes aegypti has been the vector for almost all major epidemics of some of the world’s worst mosquito-borne diseases.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

In chapter 2, when I was discussing what made someone like Mark Alpert so important in word-of-mouth epidemics, I talked about two seemingly counterintuitive aspects of persuasion.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

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