epidemic
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
extremely prevalent; widespread.
noun
-
a temporary prevalence of a disease.
-
a rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something.
an epidemic of riots.
adjective
noun
-
a widespread occurrence of a disease
an influenza epidemic
-
a rapid development, spread, or growth of something, esp something unpleasant
an epidemic of strikes
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing epidemic
Human Geography - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Human Geography - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
“Loneliness is an epidemic among both young people and older people. Living together helps bring different energy, skills and opportunities into the space that we wouldn’t normally have. It helps counter stereotypes.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Last year’s tally was the highest in a single year since the devastating 1989-91 measles epidemic, which resulted in more than 55,000 cases and 166 suspected deaths.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Health workers fighting the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are threatening to strike over unpaid wages, as the World Health Organization warned Tuesday the extent of the epidemic could be four times larger than reported.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
"We're seeing a worldwide epidemic, a decrease in fertility across the board," he tells the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
That’s what had happened to Father: they’d had an epidemic of cholera on the prison ship he’d been on.
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
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
But in 2016 several Balkan nations curtailed major epidemics of the same disease through swift action, mass vaccination and culls in about three months.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
Such mixing could reshape seasonal influenza, triggering "chaotic and unpredictable seasonal epidemics".
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
It takes only two or three bad epidemics of disease to strike, and suddenly the group is gone.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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.
