contagious
transmissible by contact; catching; capable of carrying disease: A head cold can be contagious.
Not to be confused with:
infectious – capable of causing infection; transmitted without contact: Cholera is an infectious epidemic disease caused by a microorganism.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
con·ta·gious
(kən-tā′jəs)adj.
1. Of or relating to contagion.
2. Transmissible by direct or indirect contact; communicable: a contagious disease.
3. Capable of transmitting a disease: stayed at home until he was no longer contagious.
4. Spreading or tending to spread from one to another; infectious: a contagious smile.
con·ta′gious·ly adv.
con·ta′gious·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
contagious
(kənˈteɪdʒəs)adj
1. (Pathology) (of a disease) capable of being passed on by direct contact with a diseased individual or by handling clothing, etc, contaminated with the causative agent. Compare infectious
2. (Pathology) (of an organism) harbouring or spreading the causative agent of a transmissible disease
3. causing or likely to cause the same reaction or emotion in several people; catching; infectious: her laughter was contagious.
conˈtagiously adv
conˈtagiousness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•ta•gious
(kənˈteɪ dʒəs)adj.
1. capable of being transmitted by bodily contact with an infected person or object: contagious diseases.
2. carrying or spreading a contagious disease.
3. tending to spread from person to person: contagious fear.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin]
con•ta′gious•ly, adv.
con•ta′gious•ness, con•ta`gi•os′i•ty (-dʒiˈɒs ɪ ti) n.
syn: contagious, infectious are usu. distinguished in technical medical use. contagious, literally “communicable by contact,” describes a very easily transmitted disease, as influenza or the common cold. infectious refers to a disease involving a microorganism that can be transmitted from one person to another only by a specific kind of contact; venereal diseases are usu. infectious. In nontechnical senses, contagious emphasizes the rapidity with which something spreads: Contagious laughter ran through the hall. infectious suggests the pleasantly irresistible quality of something: Her infectious good humor made her a popular guest.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
con·ta·gious
(kən-tā′jəs) Capable of being transmitted by direct or indirect contact; communicable: a contagious disease. See Note at infectious.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Adj. | 1. | contagious - easily diffused or spread as from one person to another; "a contagious grin" infectious - easily spread; "fear is exceedingly infectious; children catch it from their elders"- Bertrand Russell |
| 2. |  contagious - (of disease) capable of being transmitted by infectioninfectious - easily spread; "fear is exceedingly infectious; children catch it from their elders"- Bertrand Russell |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
contagious
adjective infectious, catching, spreading, epidemic, communicable, transmissible, pestilential I felt like I had some contagious disease.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
contagious
adjectiveCapable of transmission by infection:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مُعْدٍمُعدِ، مُنْتَقِل بِالعَدوى
nakažlivý
smitsom
tarttuva
zarazan
smitandi
伝染性の
전염성의
užkrečiama liga
infekcijas-lipīgs
contagios
nalezljiv
smittsam
ซึ่งแพร่กระจายได้
dễ lây
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
contagious
[kənˈteɪdʒəs] adj [disease] → contagieux/euse
[attitude] → contagieux/euse
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
contagious
adj (Med, fig) → ansteckend; disease also → direkt übertragbar; he’s not contagious (Med) → seine Krankheit ist nicht ansteckend; (hum) → er ist nicht giftig (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
contagious
[kənˈteɪdʒəs] adj → contagioso/a, infettivo/aCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
contagious
(kənˈteidʒəs) adjective spreading from one person to another by physical contact. Is that skin disease contagious?
conˈtagion noun an infection.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
contagious
→ مُعْدٍ nakažlivý smitsom ansteckend μολυσματικός contagioso tarttuva contagieux zarazan contagioso 伝染性の 전염성의 besmettelijk smittsom zaraźliwy contagioso заразный smittsam ซึ่งแพร่กระจายได้ bulaşıcı dễ lây 传染性的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
con·ta·gious
a. contagioso-a; infeccioso-a; que se comunica por contagio.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
contagious
adj (disease) contagioso; (fam, person) contagioso (fam), que puede transmitir una enfermedad, que puede infectar a los demás; [Note: properly, both contagious and contagioso apply to diseases, not people, though both are often applied to people in colloquial speech.]English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.