epidemic

The word “epidemic” means an outbreak of a disease that spreads quickly and affects many people in a population at once. In plain terms, a disease (or problem) that spreads fast through a large group of people.

“Epidemic” is pronounced eh-pih-DEH-mihk (/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “epidemic” used in a sentence: “The city imposed travel restrictions to slow the epidemic.”

Depending on how it is used, “epidemic” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “epidemic” comes from Greek. From Greek epidemios, "among the people," from epi- ("upon") plus demos ("people").

“Epidemic” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Epidemic” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an outbreak of a disease that spreads quickly and affects many people in a population at once.

An epidemic is an outbreak of a disease that spreads quickly and affects many people within a particular population or region at once. A pandemic is generally understood as an epidemic that has spread across multiple countries or continents. Every pandemic starts as an epidemic, but not every epidemic becomes a pandemic.

Yes, epidemic can describe any sudden, widespread increase in something harmful or undesirable, even outside a medical context, such as "an epidemic of car theft." This figurative use keeps the core idea of rapid, widespread spread while applying it to social or behavioral problems.

As an adjective, epidemic describes something spreading quickly and widely, especially when it is harmful, as in "epidemic levels of debt." This usage emphasizes the rapid, widespread nature of a problem rather than naming it as a noun.