epidemic

/ˌɛpɪˈdɛmɪk/
adjective
  1. Spreading rapidly and affecting many people at the same time.
    • The government took emergency measures to control the epidemic outbreak.
    • The disease became epidemic within weeks, overwhelming local hospitals.
    • Epidemic levels of stress are being reported among college students.
  2. Very common or widespread in a negative sense.
    • Violence in the city had become epidemic, affecting every neighborhood.
    • Corruption was epidemic in the government at that time.
    • The problem of plastic pollution has reached epidemic proportions.
Antonyms
noun
  1. A widespread occurrence of a disease in a community at a particular time.
    • The city declared a public health emergency after the flu epidemic spread rapidly.
    • During the cholera epidemic, officials set up clean water stations across the region.
    • Schools closed for two weeks to slow the epidemic of measles.
  2. A sudden, widespread occurrence of something undesirable, such as a social problem or behavior.
    • The country is facing an epidemic of misinformation about vaccines.
    • The rise in obesity has been called an epidemic by health experts.
    • There is an epidemic of loneliness among young people who spend too much time online.
What does "epidemic" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean