infectious
Caused by an agent that enters the host's body (such as a bacterium, virus, parasite, or prion); often, also, transmitted among hosts via any of various routes (for example, contact, droplet-borne, airborne, waterborne, foodborne, fomite-borne, or bloodborne).
Example
“Cancer is usually not infectious.”
Other meanings
Able to infect others; capable of transmitting pathogens.
“Despite feeling better, the patient is still infectious.”
Spreading quickly from one person to another.
“Her enthusiasm for work can be really infectious.”
Antonyms
- non-infectious
Related words
- antiinfectious
- hyperinfectious
- infectiously
- neuroinfectious
- parainfectious
- postinfectious
- preinfectious
- pseudoinfectious
- reinfectious
- subinfectious
- superinfectious
- uninfectious
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “infectious” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.