Standard Lemma guide

epidemic

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛmɪk
  • CMU ARPABET: EH2 P AH0 D EH1 M IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: EH2 P IH0 D EH1 M IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, related to, or being an epidemic: a widespread outbreak of disease in humans.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Like an epidemic: widespread in a bad way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • Epidemic hysteria occurred upon the incumbent’s reelection.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: common, ubiquitous, disseminated, far-flung, extensive, pervasive, predominant, prevailing, prevalent, regnant, rife, spread out, systemic, universal, widespread

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A widespread disease that affects many humans in a population.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An occurrence of a disease or disorder in a human population at a frequency higher than that expected in a given time period; an episode of outbreak and subsequent high prevalence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: epidemiology, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A heightened occurrence of anything harmful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, colloquial

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The spreading of an idea or belief amongst a population.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

(especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an epidemic outbreak of influenza

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: ecdemic, endemic

8

noun

Meaning 8

a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: outbreak, eruption, irruption

Narrower terms: pandemic

History

Etymology

From French épidémique, from épidémie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, reanalysis of plural Late Latin epidēmia, from Ancient Greek ἐπιδήμιος (epidḗmios), from ἐπί (epí, “upon”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). By surface analysis, epi- (“on”) + demic (“of the people”).

Across languages

Translations

181 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: эпідэмі́чны (epidemíčny) — like an epidemic
  • Catalan: epidèmic — like an epidemic
  • Czech: epidemický — like an epidemic
  • Danish: epidemisk — like an epidemic
  • Dutch: epidemisch — like an epidemic
  • Esperanto: epidemia — like an epidemic
  • Finnish: epideeminen — like an epidemic
  • Finnish: kulkutaudinomainen — like an epidemic
  • French: épidémique — like an epidemic
  • German: epidemisch — like an epidemic
  • Greek: επιδημικός (epidimikós) — like an epidemic
  • Hungarian: járványos — like an epidemic
  • Hungarian: járványszerű — like an epidemic
  • Hungarian: epidémiás — like an epidemic
  • Hungarian: epidemikus — like an epidemic
  • Hungarian: epidémikus — like an epidemic
  • Irish: eipidéimeach — like an epidemic
  • Italian: epidemico — like an epidemic
  • Japanese: 流行性 (ryūkōsei) — like an epidemic
  • Latin: epidēmicus — like an epidemic
  • Latin: epidēmiālis — like an epidemic
  • Norwegian Bokmål: epidemisk — like an epidemic
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: epidemisk — like an epidemic
  • Occitan: epidemic — like an epidemic
  • Polish: epidemiczny — like an epidemic
  • Polish: nagminny — like an epidemic
  • Brazilian Portuguese: epidêmico — like an epidemic
  • European Portuguese: epidémico — like an epidemic
  • Romanian: epidemic — like an epidemic
  • Russian: эпидеми́ческий (epidemíčeskij) — like an epidemic
  • Serbo-Croatian: епидѐмӣјскӣ — like an epidemic
  • Serbo-Croatian: epidèmījskī — like an epidemic
  • Slovak: epidemický — like an epidemic
  • Spanish: epidémico — like an epidemic
  • Ukrainian: епідемі́чний (epidemíčnyj) — like an epidemic
  • Vietnamese: (thuộc) dịch — like an epidemic
  • Yiddish: עפּידעמיש (epidemish) — like an epidemic
  • Afrikaans: epidemie — widespread disease
  • Albanian: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Arabic: وَبَاء (wabāʔ) — widespread disease
  • Arabic: أَوْبِئَة (ʔawbiʔa) — widespread disease
  • Armenian: համաճարակ (hamačarak) — widespread disease
  • Azerbaijani: epidemiya — widespread disease
  • Belarusian: эпідэ́мія (epidémija) — widespread disease
  • Belarusian: по́шасць (póšascʹ) — widespread disease
  • Bengali: মহামারী (mohamari) — widespread disease
  • Bulgarian: епиде́мия (epidémija) — widespread disease
  • Burmese: ကပ်နာ (kapna) — widespread disease
  • Carpathian Rusyn: епіде́мія (epidémija) — widespread disease
  • Catalan: epidèmia — widespread disease
  • Chinese Mandarin: 流行病 (liúxíngbìng) — widespread disease
  • Chinese Mandarin: 瘟疫 (wēnyì) — widespread disease
  • Czech: epidemie — widespread disease
  • Danish: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Dutch: epidemie — widespread disease
  • Estonian: epideemia — widespread disease
  • Estonian: taud — widespread disease
  • Finnish: kulkutauti — widespread disease
  • Finnish: epidemia — widespread disease
  • French: épidémie — widespread disease
  • Friulian: epidemie — widespread disease
  • Galician: andazo — widespread disease
  • Galician: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Georgian: ეპიდემია (eṗidemia) — widespread disease
  • German: Epidemie — widespread disease
  • German: Seuche — widespread disease
  • Greek: επιδημία (epidimía) — widespread disease
  • Ancient Greek: ἐπιδήμιος (epidḗmios) — widespread disease
  • Hebrew: מַגֵּפָה (magefá) — widespread disease
  • Hindi: महामारी (mahāmārī) — widespread disease
  • Hindi: वबा (vabā) — widespread disease
  • Hungarian: népbetegség — widespread disease
  • Hungarian: járvány — widespread disease
  • Icelandic: faraldur — widespread disease
  • Icelandic: farsótt — widespread disease
  • Indonesian: wabah — widespread disease
  • Indonesian: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Irish: eipidéim — widespread disease
  • Italian: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Japanese: 疫 (eyami) — widespread disease
  • Japanese: 疫病 (ekibyō) — widespread disease
  • Japanese: 流行病 (ryūkōbyō) — widespread disease
  • Japanese: 伝染病 (densenbyō) — widespread disease
  • Kashmiri: وَبا (vabā) — widespread disease
  • Kazakh: эпидемия (épidemiä) — widespread disease
  • Kazakh: індет (ındet) — widespread disease
  • Khmer: ជម្ងឺរាល (cɔɔcumngɨɨ riəl) — widespread disease
  • Korean: 유행병 (yuhaengbyeong) — widespread disease
  • Korean: 류행병 (ryuhaengbyeong) — widespread disease
  • Middle Korean: 시긧벼ᇰ〯 (sìkùy-s pyěng) — widespread disease
  • Central Kurdish: ئاھۆ (aho) — widespread disease
  • Central Kurdish: پەتا (peta) — widespread disease
  • Kyrgyz: эпидемия (epidemiya) — widespread disease
  • Lao: ໂລກລະບາດ (lōk la bāt) — widespread disease
  • Lao: ພະຍຸ (pha nyu) — widespread disease
  • Latin: luēs — widespread disease
  • Latin: epidēmia — widespread disease
  • Latvian: epidēmija — widespread disease
  • Lithuanian: epidemija — widespread disease
  • Macedonian: епидемија (epidemija) — widespread disease
  • Malay: wabak — widespread disease
  • Malay: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Malayalam: മഹാമാരി (mahāmāri) — widespread disease
  • Māori: urutā — widespread disease
  • Māori: mate urutā — widespread disease
  • Mongolian: тахал (taxal) — widespread disease
  • Navajo: naałniih — widespread disease
  • Nivkh: таӽ (taẋ) — widespread disease
  • Norwegian Bokmål: farsott — widespread disease
  • Norwegian Bokmål: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Occitan: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Occitan: epidèmia — widespread disease
  • Persian: همهگیر (hame-gir) — widespread disease
  • Persian: مرگامرگی (margâmargi) — widespread disease
  • Persian: اپیدمی (epidemi) — widespread disease
  • Persian: وبا (vabâ) — widespread disease
  • Polish: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Portuguese: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Punjabi: ਵਬਾਅ (vabāa) — widespread disease
  • Romanian: epidemie — widespread disease
  • Russian: эпиде́мия (epidémija) — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: по̏ша̄ст — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: епидѐмија — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: редња — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: pȍšāst — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: epidèmija — widespread disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: rednja — widespread disease
  • Slovak: epidémia — widespread disease
  • Slovene: epidemija — widespread disease
  • Sotho: sewa — widespread disease
  • Spanish: epidemia — widespread disease
  • Sundanese: pagebug — widespread disease
  • Swahili: epidemiki — widespread disease
  • Swedish: epidemi — widespread disease
  • Swedish: farsot — widespread disease
  • Tagalog: salot — widespread disease
  • Tagalog: epidemya — widespread disease
  • Tajik: эпидемия (epidemiya) — widespread disease
  • Tajik: вабо (vabo) — widespread disease
  • Tatar: эпидемия (epidemiyä) — widespread disease
  • Thai: โรคระบาด (rôok-rá-bàat) — widespread disease
  • Turkish: salgın — widespread disease
  • Turkmen: epidemiýa — widespread disease
  • Ukrainian: епіде́мія (epidémija) — widespread disease
  • Ukrainian: по́шесть (póšestʹ) — widespread disease
  • Urdu: وبا (vabā) — widespread disease
  • Uzbek: epidemiya — widespread disease
  • Vietnamese: bệnh dịch — widespread disease
  • Walloon: minêye — widespread disease
  • Walloon: piyintche — widespread disease
  • Welsh: epidemig — widespread disease
  • Yiddish: עפּידעמיע (epidemye) — widespread disease
  • Arabic: وَبَاء (wabāʔ) — occurrence of such disease
  • Catalan: epidèmia — occurrence of such disease
  • Czech: epidemie — occurrence of such disease
  • Dutch: epidemie — occurrence of such disease
  • Finnish: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • French: épidémie — occurrence of such disease
  • Galician: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • Greek: επιδημία (epidimía) — occurrence of such disease
  • Hungarian: járvány — occurrence of such disease
  • Hungarian: epidémia — occurrence of such disease
  • Irish: eipidéim — occurrence of such disease
  • Japanese: エピデミック (epidemikku) — occurrence of such disease
  • Latin: luēs — occurrence of such disease
  • Norwegian Bokmål: epidemi — occurrence of such disease
  • Norwegian Bokmål: farsott — occurrence of such disease
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: epidemi — occurrence of such disease
  • Occitan: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • Occitan: epidèmia — occurrence of such disease
  • Polish: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • Portuguese: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • Russian: эпиде́мия (epidémija) — occurrence of such disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: епидѐмија — occurrence of such disease
  • Serbo-Croatian: epidèmija — occurrence of such disease
  • Slovak: epidémia — occurrence of such disease
  • Spanish: epidemia — occurrence of such disease
  • Swedish: epidemi — occurrence of such disease
  • Vietnamese: dịch — occurrence of such disease
  • Welsh: epidemig — occurrence of such disease
Real reading context

epidemic in complete knowledge articles