Meaning & use
contagious
Able to spread from one person to another through contact, especially referring to disease.
See it in a sentence
Chickenpox is highly contagious, spreading quickly among children at school.
Her laughter was so contagious that soon the whole room was giggling along with her.
A note on using this word
Contagious literally describes diseases spread by contact, but it is also used figuratively for moods and enthusiasm that spread quickly.
Words with a similar meaning
infectiouscommunicable
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
noncontagious
Make it your own
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