Meaning & use
contagious
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparablemedical
Able to pass from one person to another through touch or close contact, said of a disease.
Grammar: Can follow be or come before a noun: a contagious illness; the flu is contagious.
Patterns
- highly contagious
- contagious to someone
Chickenpox is contagious, so keep your child at home.
The doctor said the infection was no longer contagious after a week.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known.
adjectivecomparablefigurative
Spreading quickly from one person to another, said of a feeling, habit or behavior.
Grammar: Figurative use; often describes emotions like laughter or enthusiasm.
Patterns
- a contagious laugh
Her excitement was contagious and soon the whole team felt it.
He has a contagious laugh that makes everyone smile.
Panic can be contagious in a crowd.
Word forms
| comparative | more contagious |
|---|---|
| superlative | most contagious |
Common combinations
- highly contagious
- The virus is highly contagious.
- contagious disease
- Schools report any contagious disease to the health office.
- contagious laughter
- Contagious laughter filled the room.
- remain contagious
- You may remain contagious for several days.
- a contagious smile
- The baby's contagious smile cheered the whole waiting room.
Synonyms and how they differ
- infectious
- Infectious is often used for any disease caused by germs, while contagious stresses passing it by contact.
- catching
- Catching is an informal word for easily spread illnesses or moods.
- communicable
- Communicable is a formal medical term and rarely used for moods.
Opposites
Word family
- contagion noun
- the spreading of a disease or idea
- contagiously adverb
- in a way that spreads easily
- contagiousness noun
- how easily something spreads
- contaminate verb
- to make impure (related but different)
Commonly confused: contagious or infectious?
contagious vs infectious
All contagious illnesses are infectious, but some infectious illnesses, like food poisoning, are not passed by contact.
Practice
Which sentence uses contagious in a figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Enthusiasm spreads like a disease, so this is figurative. The other sentences refer to actual illnesses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contagious”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.