epidemic
Also ep·i·dem·i·cal . (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.: Compare pandemic (def. 1).
extremely prevalent; widespread.
a temporary prevalence of a disease.
a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something: an epidemic of riots.
Origin of epidemic
1Other words from epidemic
- ep·i·dem·i·cal·ly, adverb
- ep·i·de·mic·i·ty [ep-i-duh-mis-i-tee], /ˌɛp ɪ dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/, noun
- in·ter·ep·i·dem·ic, adjective
- pre·ep·i·dem·ic, noun, adjective
Words that may be confused with epidemic
Words Nearby epidemic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use epidemic in a sentence
America’s coronavirus epidemic hit blue states particularly hard at first, especially in the Northeast.
Trump says US Covid-19 deaths would be low if you excluded blue states. That’s wrong. | German Lopez | September 17, 2020 | VoxParents care about safety, and they feel that bullying has become an epidemic in our schools.
Our Public Schools Have a Customer Service Problem | Thomas Courtney | September 10, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoWe didn’t take a stand on ending gun violence and the gun violence epidemic because of the impact that it has on perpetuating racism in this country.
Levi Strauss’s Chip Bergh on why he’s taking his most direct stance yet against structural racism | Ellen McGirt | September 1, 2020 | FortuneThe coronavirus pandemic has shown anyone paying attention that epidemics do not end at borders.
Want to end HIV? Actions speak louder than sound bites | Cecilia Chung, Ronald Johnson, Naina Khanna and Sean Strub | August 22, 2020 | Washington BladeWe have high rates of heart disease and diabetes and these factors make an already dangerous epidemic particularly lethal to folks like me, and to my community.
While public interest in Ebola continues to dwindle, the epidemic itself continues to soar.
With a mortality rate of 70 percent, the more cases that arise, the deadlier this epidemic becomes.
Has L.A. figured out how to stop the epidemic it set loose on the world?
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Dec 29-Jan 4, 2014 | William Boot | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIn mid-summer, as the epidemic swept through the region, schools closed one by one.
Rape and sexual assault may be less of an epidemic than other studies suggest.
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students | Brandy Zadrozny | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAdded to this, an epidemic of cholera had just broken out in the town, and the childrens maid nearly fell a victim to the disease.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste TchaikovskyHardly had the boys mother left St. Petersburg, when an epidemic of scarlet fever broke out in the school.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste TchaikovskyAt his instigation a persecution of unprecedented virulence raged like an epidemic throughout the empire.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowIn Richmond alone, approximately eight hundred people succumbed during this epidemic period.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. TorpeyFor example, a dreadful influenza epidemic occurred followed by a severe fuel shortage due to a railroad strike.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey
British Dictionary definitions for epidemic
/ (ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk) /
(esp of a disease) attacking or affecting many persons simultaneously in a community or area
a widespread occurrence of a disease: an influenza epidemic
a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, esp something unpleasant: an epidemic of strikes
Origin of epidemic
1Derived forms of epidemic
- epidemically, adverb
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
Scientific definitions for epidemic
[ ĕp′ĭ-dĕm′ĭk ]
An outbreak of a disease or illness that spreads rapidly among individuals in an area or population at the same time. See also endemic pandemic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for epidemic
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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