contagious

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kənˈteɪdʒəs/
- Audio (RP) (file)
Rhymes: -eɪdʒəs

AdjectiveEdit

contagious (comparative more contagious, superlative most contagious)

(of a disease) Easily transmitted to others.
Hypernyms: infectious, communicable, transmissible, spreadable, catching

Antonyms: noncontagious, noncommunicable, nontransmissible

Last year's flu strain was so contagious that everybody in town got sick!
(figurative) Easily passed on to others.
contagious enthusiasm; infectious laughter

Wearing jeans was a contagious fad at that time.

Synonym: infectious
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Success”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 75:
  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.
- 2000, Damon Gough (lyrics and music), “Magic in the Air”, in The Hour of Bewilderbeast, performed by Badly Drawn Boy:
  Cause love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is alright
(of a person) Having a disease that can be transmitted to another person.
They were highly contagious, spreading bacteria to other people.

AntonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

of a disease, easily transmitted to others

Arabic: مُعْدٍ‎ (muʕdin)
Bashkir: йоғошло (yoğoşlo)
Bulgarian: заразен (bg) (zarazen)
Catalan: contagiós (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 传染性 (zh) (chuánrǎnxìng), 傳染性／传染性 (zh) (chuánrǎnxìng)
Czech: nakažlivý (cs) m
Dutch: aanstekelijk (nl), besmettelijk (nl)
Finnish: tarttuva (fi)
French: contagieux (fr)
Georgian: გადამდები (gadamdebi), კონტაგიოზური (ḳonṭagiozuri), ინფექციური (inpekciuri)
German: ansteckend (de), kontagiös (de)
Greek: μεταδοτικός (el) m (metadotikós)
Hungarian: fertőző (hu)
Irish: gabhálach
Italian: contagioso (it), infettivo (it)
Japanese: 伝染性の (でんせんせいの, densensei no)
Latvian: lipīgs
Maori: mauhoro
Polish: zaraźliwy (pl) m
Portuguese: contagiante (pt), contagioso (pt)
Romanian: contagios (ro), molipsitor (ro)
Russian: зара́зный (ru) (zaráznyj)
Serbo-Croatian: zarazan (sh)
Spanish: contagioso (es), infeccioso (es), contagiante
Swedish: smittsam (sv)
Tagalog: nakalalalin, nakahahawa
Turkish: bulaşıcı (tr)

of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others

Bulgarian: заразителен (bg) (zarazitelen)
Catalan: contagiós (ca), encomanadís (ca)
Czech: nakažlivý (cs) m
Dutch: aanstekelijk (nl), besmettelijk (nl)
Finnish: tarttuva (fi)
French: contagieux (fr)
Georgian: გადამდები (gadamdebi)
German: ansteckend (de)
Greek: μεταδοτικός (el) m (metadotikós)
Hungarian: fertőző (hu)
Icelandic: smitandi
Irish: gabhálach
Italian: contagioso (it)
Polish: zaraźliwy (pl) m
Portuguese: contagiante (pt)
Russian: зарази́тельный (ru) (zarazítelʹnyj)
Spanish: contagioso (es)
Swedish: smittsam (sv)
Tagalog: nakakahawa
Turkish: bulaşıcı (tr)

capable of spreading a disease

Catalan: contagiós (ca)
Dutch: besmettelijk (nl)
Finnish: tartuntavaarallinen
French: contagieux (fr)
Georgian: ინფექციის წარმომშობი (inpekciis c̣armomšobi), ინფექციის გადამდები (inpekciis gadamdebi)
German: ansteckend (de)
Hungarian: fertőző (hu)
Italian: contagioso (it), infettivo (it)
Portuguese: contagiante (pt), contagioso (pt)
Romanian: contagios (ro)
Spanish: contagioso (es)
Swedish: smittbärande

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Korean: ^{(please verify)} 전염성이 있는 (jeonyeomseong'i inneun)
Latin: ^{(please verify)} contagiosus
Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} smittefarlig
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} контагиозно

Roman: ^{(please verify)} contagiozno