infectious

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌɪnˈfɛkʃəs/ UK /ɪnˈfɛk.ʃəs/ See IPA manual

Freq #15404

Meanings

1

adj
Able to be passed from one person to another, used about a disease.

Measles is a highly infectious disease.
2

adj
Spreading quickly to other people, used about feelings or moods.

Her enthusiasm was so infectious that everyone wanted to join in.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · able to be passed from one... catching contagious

Opposites

non-infectiousnoninfectious

Word family

Derived forms agroinfectiousantiinfectioushyperinfectiousinfectioninfectiouslyinfectiousnessneuroinfectiousparainfectiouspostinfectiouspreinfectiouspseudoinfectiousreinfectious

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

infectious disease
a disease caused by an infectious agent such as a bacterium or virus

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin īnfectiōsus. By surface analysis, infect + -ious.

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# infectious

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌɪnˈfɛkʃəs/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnˈfɛk.ʃəs/
**Frequency rank:** 15404

## Meanings
1. Able to be passed from one person to another, used about a disease.
2. Spreading quickly to other people, used about feelings or moods.

## Examples
- Measles is a highly infectious disease.
- Her enthusiasm was so infectious that everyone wanted to join in.

## Antonyms
- non-infectious
- noninfectious

## Derived Forms
- agroinfectious
- antiinfectious
- hyperinfectious
- infection
- infectiously
- infectiousness
- neuroinfectious
- parainfectious
- postinfectious
- preinfectious
- pseudoinfectious
- reinfectious

## Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin īnfectiōsus. By surface analysis, infect + -ious.

## AI Etymology
Infectious is borrowed from New Latin īnfectiōsus. By surface analysis, infect + -ious. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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