Dictionary

contagious en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /kənˈteɪ.d͡ʒəs/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Old French contagieus, from Late Latin contagiosus, from contagio.

Meanings

1. (of a disease) Easily transmitted to others.
   • Last year's flu strain was so contagious that everybody in town got sick!
2. (figuratively) Easily passed on to others.
   • Cause love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is alright 2000, Damon Gough, “Magic in the Air”, in The Hour of Bewilderbeast, performed by Badly Drawn Boy:
   • The taverns of our ancestors would ill bear contrasting with the clubs of to-day; but many a gay midnight was past in the former:—midnights, whose mirth has descended even to us; half the jests, whose gaiety is still contagious; half the epigrams, whose point is yet felt, were born of those brief and brilliant hours. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Success”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 75:
   • One such investigation described how kindness can be contagious. 2025 November 13, Kamala Thiagarajan, “If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it!”, in NPR:
   • Wearing jeans was a contagious fad at that time.
   • contagious enthusiasm; infectious laughter
3. (of a person) Having a disease that can be transmitted to another person.
   • They were highly contagious, spreading bacteria to other people.
4. Contiguous.
   • In Agypt's land contaygious to the Nile / Old Pharao's daughter went to bathe in style, 19th century, Zozimus, “The Finding of Moses”:

Forms

Antonyms

nontransmissible · noncommunicable · non-contagious · noncontagious · noninfectious · noncontagious · nontransmissible

Deriveds

contagious abortion · contagion · contagiously · contagiousness · uncontagious · anticontagious · contagious shooting · contagious fire · contagious magic

Hypernyms

infectious · catching · transmissible · spreadable · communicable

Synonyms

spreadable · infectious · catching

Translations (83)

tl nakalalalin (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · hu fertőző (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · az yoluxucu (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · de ansteckend (capable of spreading a disease) · ga gabhálach (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · gl contaxioso (capable of spreading a disease) · nl aanstekelijk (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ga gabhálach (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · ru зарази́тельный (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · ca contagiós (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · sv smittsam (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · fr contagieux (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · pt contagiante (capable of spreading a disease) · ca contagiós (capable of spreading a disease) · es contagiante (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · it contagioso (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · cmn 传染性 (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · fr contagieux (capable of spreading a disease) · nl besmettelijk (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · mi mauhoro (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · it contagioso (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ka ინფექციის გადამდები (capable of spreading a disease) · sv smittbärande (capable of spreading a disease) · cs nakažlivý (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ba йоғошло (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ka გადამდები (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ar مُعْدٍ (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ja 伝染性の (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · fr contagieux (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · is smitandi (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · hu fertőző (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · ro molipsitor (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ca contagiós (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · el μεταδοτικός (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · nl besmettelijk (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · pam makayawa (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · pl zaraźliwy (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · gl contaxioso (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · it contagioso (capable of spreading a disease) · pl zaraźliwy (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · de ansteckend (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · tr bulaşıcı (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · pt contagiante (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · sh zarazan (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · cmn 傳染性 /传染性 (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · it infettivo (capable of spreading a disease) · it infettivo (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ka კონტაგიოზური (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · el μεταδοτικός (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · tl nakahahawa (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · de ansteckend (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · bg заразителен (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · nl aanstekelijk (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · ka ინფექციური (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · pt contagioso (capable of spreading a disease) · es contagioso (capable of spreading a disease) · de kontagiös (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · cs nakažlivý (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · sv smittsam (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · es contagioso (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · pt contagiante (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ca encomanadís (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · ro contagios (capable of spreading a disease) · ro contagios (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · bg заразен (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · nl besmettelijk (capable of spreading a disease) · lv lipīgs (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · tl nakahahawa (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · es infeccioso (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · fi tartuntavaarallinen (capable of spreading a disease) · hu fertőző (capable of spreading a disease) · pam macaiaua (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · es contagioso (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · fi tarttuva (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · mn халдвартай (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ka ინფექციის წარმომშობი (capable of spreading a disease) · ko 전염성(傳染性)의 (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ru зара́зный (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · fi tarttuva (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others) · pt contagioso (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · gl contaxioso (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · tr bulaşıcı (of a disease, easily transmitted to others) · ka გადამდები (of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others)