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Definition of infectious adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

infectious

adjective
 
/ɪnˈfekʃəs/
 
/ɪnˈfekʃəs/
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  1. an infectious disease can be passed easily from one person to another, especially through air or water
    • Flu is highly infectious.
    • (figurative) infectious laughter
    Topics Health problemsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    adverb
    • highly
    • very
    • potentially
    See full entry
  2. [not usually before noun] if a person or an animal is infectious, they have a disease that can be spread to others
    • I'm still infectious.
    Topics Health problemsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    adverb
    • highly
    • very
    • potentially
    See full entry
  3. compare contagious
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from infection + -ous.
See infectious in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee infectious in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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