catching
n.n. easy to catch or pass from one person to another. You use this for illnesses or even for things like a laugh or a smile.
n. capable of being transmitted from one person to another, either through physical contact or social influence. Often used figuratively for emotions or behaviours.
Her laugh is very catching.
The doctor warned that the new strain of the virus is highly catching among school children.
While the term is often reserved for pathology, a leader's enthusiasm can be just as catching, spreading through a stagnant department and revitalising the collective morale.
Typically used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb like 'is' or 'becomes'.
The flu is very catchedThe flu is very catchingLearners often use the past participle 'catched' or 'caught' when they mean the adjective 'catching' to describe a contagious quality.