pandemic

American  

[pan-dem-ik] / pænˈdɛm ɪk /

adjective

1. (of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.

2. general; universal.

   pandemic fear of atomic war.

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noun

1. a disease prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world.

pandemic British  

/ pænˈdɛmɪk /

adjective

1. (of a disease) affecting persons over a wide geographical area; extensively epidemic

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noun

1. a pandemic disease

pandemic Scientific  

/ păn-dĕm′ĭk /

1. An epidemic that spreads over a very wide area, such as an entire country or continent.

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pandemic Cultural  

1. A widespread epidemic affecting a large part of the population.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interpandemic
  adjective
• pandemicity
  noun
• pandemia
  noun

Etymology

Origin of pandemic

First recorded in 1660–70; from Late Latin pandēm(us), from Greek pándēmos “common, public” ( pan- “all” + dêm(os) “the people” + -os adjective suffix) + -ic; see pan-

Explanation

Remember the 2009 swine flu? That was a pandemic — an illness that swept over much of the globe. People fear pandemics, and with good reason. The black plague that ran through Asia and Europe in the 1300s is believed to have killed as much as half of Europe's population, between 75 and 100 million folks. The word comes from ancient Greek — pan (meaning "all") and demos (meaning "people"), or simply put — all the people. Of course, people across the globe suffer from the seasonal flu, and many die from it. But it isn't considered a pandemic because it is generally harmless to the healthy.

Example Sentences

However, that number has increased dramatically since, thanks in part to an expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly 89% of ballots were cast by mail in last year’s special election.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

These included initiatives addressing pandemic preparedness and outbreak response, health security, and infectious disease treatment.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

Other bouts of frenetic, rollercoaster volatility occurred during the Asian contagion of 1997, the dot-com crash of 2000-2001, the global financial crisis in 2008 and the pandemic in 2020.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

In each market mania, new celebrity stock pickers get anointed, from Ryan Jacob and his Internet Fund during the dot-com era to Cathie Wood and her ARK Innovation ETF during the pandemic rally of 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Word of the spirit circles spread almost as fast as the cholera pandemic that swept the country.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock