epidemicnoun
uk/ˌep.ɪˈdem.ɪk/us/ˌep.əˈdem.ɪk/epidemic noun (DISEASE)
[ C ] the appearance of a particular disease in a large number of people at the same time:
a flu epidemic
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Passing on illness & causing disease
- carrier
- carry
- catch
- contagious
- harbour
- incubate
- infect
- infected
- infest
- insalubrious
- mediastinum
- non-communicable
- prophylactic
- transmission
- transmit
- unhygienic
- vector
- verminous
- virulence
- virulent
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epidemic noun (PROBLEM)
[ C usually singular ] a particular problem that seriously affects many people at the same time:
a crime/unemployment epidemic
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences
- a (heavy) cross to bear idiom
- a cloud on the horizon idiom
- a fate worse than death idiom
- a hard/tough row to hoe idiom
- a narrow squeak idiom
- barrel
- bind
- crunch
- curse
- eventuality
- fate
- feeding frenzy
- going
- have a bumpy ride idiom
- rum
- schtuck
- shtook
- stalemate
- standoff
- vortex
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epidemicadjective
uk/ˌep.ɪˈdem.ɪk/us/ˌep.əˈdem.ɪk/happening a lot and affecting many people:
Poverty in this country has reached epidemic proportions .
Crime and poverty are epidemic in the city.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Passing on illness & causing disease
- carrier
- carry
- catch
- contagious
- harbour
- incubate
- infect
- infected
- infest
- insalubrious
- mediastinum
- non-communicable
- prophylactic
- transmission
- transmit
- unhygienic
- vector
- verminous
- virulence
- virulent
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