Word
contagion
Phoneticscon·ta·gion, stress on the second syllable
US/kənˈteɪdʒən/
UK/kəntˈeɪdʒən/
Definitions
01spread of disease
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Medicine Technical
n. the spread of a disease from one person to another through touch or close contact.
n. the transmission of a pathogen through direct or indirect contact. Often used to describe the process of spreading rather than the pathogen itself.
“The hospital took strict measures to prevent the contagion from reaching other wards.”
“Public health officials were concerned that the high rate of contagion in urban centres would overwhelm the local healthcare infrastructure within weeks.”
Synonyms
02spread of ideas or feelings
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Academic
n. the quick spread of an influence, a feeling, or a social trend.
n. the rapid communication or spreading of an emotional state, idea, or social phenomenon among a population.
“A contagion of panic spread through the crowd when the alarm went off.”
“The researcher argued that the contagion of revolutionary ideas was facilitated by the new printing presses appearing across the continent.”
03financial crisis spread
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Finance Academic · Technical
n. the way a financial crisis in one country quickly spreads to other markets or countries.
n. the phenomenon where economic shocks or crises in one market or region spread rapidly to others through interconnected financial links.
“Investors feared that the bank's failure would cause a contagion across the whole stock market.”
“Economists monitored the regional markets closely, fearing that the currency devaluation in one nation would trigger a financial contagion across the entire continent.”
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Reicher also stressed that the results went against the concept of contagion, instead showing that whether we are influenced by others depends on who those others are.” “Psychologists call this social contagion: the spread of emotions, behaviours and beliefs through groups.” “The riverbanks were often the sites of socialist or surrealist communes and of lazarets (quarantine quarters), something given added resonance in our era of Covid and contagion.” “The contagion from the incident contributed to the collapse of hedge fund Three Arrows Capital , followed by crypto lenders Voyager Digital , BlockFi , and Genesis .” Etymology
From Middle English (late 14th century), from Old French, from Latin contāgiō (“a touching, contact, contagion”) related to contingō (“touch closely”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
The word in film
Contagion · 2011 · Action
- Directed by:
- Steven Soderbergh
- Starring:
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard
Steven Soderbergh directs this realistic thriller about a deadly virus that travels rapidly across the globe through human contact. As the infection grows, international doctors race to find a cure while society struggles to handle the panic.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/contagion