communicable

adjective

kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce communicable (audio)
Definition of communicablenext
as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another communicable diseases that are usually transmitted sexually

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of communicable And necropsy data taken from dead fish samples so far have not turned up any communicable pathogens and the fish were negative for bacterial infections, according to the FWC. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024 And necropsy data taken from dead fish samples so far has not turned up any communicable pathogens and the fish were negative for bacterial infections, according to the FWC. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024 Fear of disease, for example, can be as communicable as the microbes that cause it. — Catherine Buerger, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 The new variants of the COVID-19 virus are reported to be very communicable, but weakened in strength — meaning that people are more likely to contract the virus but much less likely to land in the hospital, or even the doctor’s office, as a result of the illness caused by the virus. — Amy Dickinson, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for communicable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for communicable
  1. infectious
  2. infective
  3. transmissible
Adjective
  • Scientists have already revived 30,000-year-old viruses from permafrost in Siberia—ones that were still infectious, though only to amoebas.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • But now, with US vaccination rates slipping, herd immunity becoming spotty, cases rising by the day, and outbreaks simmering in multiple states, the US is no longer different from far-off places that struggle with the extremely infectious virus.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of infectious
Adjective
  • His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.
    — Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
  • On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 31 July 2024
Definition of infective
Adjective
  • The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended at birth because the infection, which can lead to permanent liver damage and cancer, is highly transmissible during delivery.
    — Isobel Whitcomb, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Read more Now Parvovirus B19 is a thing More people in the U.S. have become infected with Parvovirus B19, a highly transmissible seasonal respiratory virus that can pose serious risks to pregnant people and those with blood disorders, health officials say.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 15 Aug. 2024
Definition of transmissible

Browse Nearby Words

communes
communicable
communicant
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Cite this Entry

“Communicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/communicable. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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