noun

contagion

/kənˈteɪdʒən/ · say it: kuhn·TAY·jun

financial trouble spreading from one place to others

In From the Business Pages

In more detail

1. (noun) the spreading of a disease from one person or animal to another through contact

2. (noun) a disease that spreads in this way

3. (noun) the spreading of an emotion, idea, or behavior from person to person

Examples

The contagion spread rapidly through the crowded city.
Fear of the virus became a contagion that affected the entire community.
Social media can accelerate the contagion of both false information and genuine ideas.

How to use contagion

Contagion can refer to the literal spreading of infectious disease, but is increasingly used metaphorically for the rapid spread of emotions, behaviors, or ideas through social networks. It emphasizes the mechanism of direct contact or proximity, often implying something undesirable or uncontrollable that propagates from person to person.

Common phrases

contagion of disease
contagion spreads
prevent contagion
risk of contagion
emotional contagion
social contagion

Synonyms

transmission · infection · spread · communication · dissemination

Opposites

isolation · containment

Word family

contagious · contagiously · contagiousness

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use contagion as a countable noun when referring to multiple types of transmission (e.g., 'contagions' is rarely used; prefer 'contagious diseases' or 'types of transmission').

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