infection
/ɪnˈfekʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfekʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈfek-shən/ (ame, mw)
infection — noun
- infectionsingular
- infectionsplural
1. a state in which harmful germs, bacteria, or viruses get into your body and star
a state in which harmful germs, bacteria, or viruses get into your body and start to multiply, which can make you feel unwell or cause a disease.
Joaquín stayed home from school after the doctor said his ear infection needed rest and medicine.
ear / throat / wound infection
The nurse told Meera to keep the cut clean so that no infection would appear.
Tariq finished the full course of antibiotics to make sure the infection in his throat was completely gone.
Poor hygiene during the rainy season led to a serious infection spreading through the village.
The hospital reported that the infection rate among patients dropped after the new cleaning rules were introduced.
- immunity
the body's ability to resist or fight off infection
文法句型
an infection (countable)
infection (uncountable)
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific instance in a part of the body ('an ear infection', 'a wound infection'). Uncountable when speaking generally about the condition ('the risk of infection', 'infection can spread').
常見錯誤
2. the situation in which harmful software such as a virus or other malware invades
the situation in which harmful software such as a virus or other malware invades a computer system, network, or file, causing damage, stealing data, or disrupting the normal way the system works.
Once the virus reached the company server, the infection wiped out thousands of important files.
the infection + destructive effect
Jisoo installed security software to protect her laptop from any malware infection.
malware infection
The IT team spent the whole weekend cleaning up a software infection that had spread through the office network.
An email attachment from an unknown sender can be the starting point of a computer infection.
The bank's security system detected the infection early, so no customer data was stolen.
文法句型
an infection (countable, a specific attack)
infection (uncountable, the general phenomenon)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by context: this sense uses nouns such as 'virus', 'malware', 'computer', 'software', 'network', 'data'. Common in technology news and IT workplace language.
常見錯誤
3. the process by which a feeling, mood, or attitude spreads from one person to oth
the process by which a feeling, mood, or attitude spreads from one person to others in a group, so that everyone begins to feel or act in a similar way, as if the emotion were a disease moving through people.
A strange nervous infection seemed to pass through the crowd as they waited for the exam results to be announced.
The speaker's excitement was an infection that soon had the whole audience cheering and laughing together.
the infection of [emotion]
Baraka watched the panic spread through the camp like a quiet infection, moving from one worried face to another.
Owen felt the infection of the team's confidence take hold of him as they walked onto the field.
Élise wrote about the infection of fear that swept through the town after the unexplained disappearances.
- contagion
near synonym; 'emotional contagion' is a formal term used in psychology
- spread
neutral and general; lacks the implied force of 'infection'
- transmission
more technical; often used for ideas or cultural traits
文法句型
the infection of + emotion/attitude
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of' plus an emotion or attitude. The emotion can be positive ('the infection of joy') or negative ('the infection of fear'). This sense is found more in written, literary, or formal contexts than in everyday conversation.
常見錯誤
4. the act or process of damaging someone's moral character or sense of right and w
the act or process of damaging someone's moral character or sense of right and wrong, as if a bad influence were slowly poisoning their values and principles.
The old storyteller warned young Ilan to stay away from the gambling halls, calling them an infection of the spirit.
an infection of the spirit / soul / mind
Many parents feared that certain violent shows would become an infection of their children's values.
an infection of [values / character]
Lauren saw dishonesty as a slow infection of the soul that would eventually destroy any real friendship.
The writer's essay described the infection of greed that had taken over the city's political leaders.
- corruption
more common and direct; 'moral corruption' is standard in most contexts
- contamination
suggests a pure thing becoming impure; less common for morals than for physical things
- degradation
suggests a lowering of quality or status over time
- purity
moral cleanliness or integrity
文法句型
an infection of + moral quality
the infection of + [society/mind/soul]
用法筆記
Always metaphorical; do not use for literal physical contamination. Typically appears with 'a' or 'the' followed by 'of' plus an abstract noun describing the corrupted quality. Found almost exclusively in literary, religious, or philosophical writing.