AskEraser  |  Settings
Ask.com   
 


Synonyms
ep·i·dem·ic (ĕṕĭ-dĕḿĭk),
also ep·i·dem·i·cal (-ĭ-kəl)

[French épidémique, from épidémie, an epidemic, from Old French espydymie, from Medieval Latin epidēmia, from Greek epidēmiā, prevalence of an epidemic disease, from epidēmos, prevalent, epi-, epi-, + dēmos, people.]

adjective 

  1. Spreading rapidly and extensively by infection and affecting many individuals in an area or a population at the same time: an epidemic outbreak of influenza.
  2. Widely prevalent: epidemic discontent.

noun 

  1. An outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely.
  2. A rapid spread, growth, or development: an unemployment epidemic.

derivatives

eṕi·deḿi·cal·ly
adverb