contagion

/kənˈteɪdʒən/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈteɪdʒən/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈtā-jən/ (ame, mw)

contagion — noun

1. the passing of a disease from one person, animal, or place to another through co

1.名詞C1
釋義

the passing of a disease from one person, animal, or place to another through contact

例句

Doctors feared contagion after two nurses fell ill on Monday.

fear of contagion during an outbreak

The school closed one classroom to limit contagion among younger children.

limit contagion among a group

同義詞
  • transmission

    more neutral and common in medical explanation

  • spread

    broader everyday word with less formal tone

  • cross-infection

    more technical term for infection passed between people or places

反義詞
  • containment

    focuses on stopping a disease from spreading further

文法句型

risk of contagion

contagion among patients

reduce contagion in crowded places

用法筆記

Often treated as an uncountable process noun in reports about outbreaks, hospitals, and other close-contact settings. When speakers mean the illness itself, modern English more often uses sense 3 or a more specific disease name.

常見錯誤

❌The nurse caught a contagion from a patient.
✅The nurse caught an infection from a patient.
💡Sense 1 names the spread, not the illness in one person.

2. the fast spread of feelings, attitudes, ideas, or behavior from one person or gr

2.名詞C1
釋義

the fast spread of feelings, attitudes, ideas, or behavior from one person or group to others

例句

Laughter spread with such contagion that the whole bus joined in.

contagion used for emotion spreading through a group

The contagion of fear emptied the market before noon.

contagion of + emotion

同義詞
  • spread

    simpler and broader, without the idea of person-to-person influence

  • ripple effect

    stresses one event causing wider results, not necessarily emotional copying

  • infectiousness

    often describes the quality that makes a feeling or mood easy to catch

反義詞
  • containment

    suggests that a mood, idea, or problem is kept from spreading

文法句型

contagion of fear

social contagion

spread by contagion

用法筆記

Usually appears in analytical writing about crowds, media, markets, or group behavior rather than in casual conversation. It often takes abstract nouns like fear, anger, panic, or enthusiasm after 'of'.

常見錯誤

❌Her advice was a contagion on me.
✅Her fear had a contagion effect on the whole team.
💡This sense describes something spreading through a group, not one person's influence on one listener.

3. a disease that passes easily from one person to another through contact

3.名詞C1
釋義

a disease that passes easily from one person to another through contact

例句

Villagers feared the contagion and stayed away from the well.

the contagion for a known disease outbreak

The doctor isolated anyone showing signs of the contagion.

signs of the contagion

同義詞
  • infection

    the most common modern word, though it is less dramatic and more general

  • plague

    stronger and often more dramatic, sometimes historical

  • illness

    broader word that does not itself imply person-to-person spread

文法句型

the contagion

signs of the contagion

cases of contagion

用法筆記

This countable sense sounds literary or old-fashioned in many modern contexts. In current medical English, speakers often prefer a specific disease name or a word like 'infection' unless the disease is being discussed as a dramatic outbreak.

常見錯誤

❌There was much contagion in the ward.
✅There were several cases of contagion in the ward.
💡Sense 3 names the disease or outbreak, so it is often counted by cases.