infectious
/in'fekʃəs/ Cách viết khác : (infective) /in'fektiv/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Capable of causing infection: Describes something, especially a disease or agent, that can be transmitted from one organism to another, invading and multiplying within the host.
- Capable of spreading easily: Describes something, such as an emotion, behavior, or idea, that is readily communicated or transmitted from person to person.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- Influenza is a highly infectious respiratory illness.
- Her enthusiasm was so infectious that soon everyone in the room was smiling.
- The doctor isolated the patient to prevent the spread of the infectious agent.
Advanced Usage
- "infectious laughter": Laughter that is so genuine and cheerful it causes others to laugh as well.
- His infectious laughter filled the hall and lifted everyone's spirits.
- "infectious disease": A disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms (like bacteria, viruses) that can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.
- Vaccination is a key tool in controlling infectious diseases.
Variants and Related Words
- Infect (verb): To affect or contaminate with a disease-causing organism; to affect with one's feeling or idea.
- The virus can infect the host's cells.
- Infection (noun): The process or state of being infected; the invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues.
- The wound was cleaned to prevent infection.
- Infective (adjective): Synonymous with 'infectious' in the medical sense of being able to cause infection.
- The patient was infective during the first week of illness.
Synonyms
- Contagious: Often used interchangeably with 'infectious' for diseases spread by direct or indirect contact; also used for emotions/behaviors.
- Communicable: (For diseases) Capable of being transmitted from one person to another.
- Catching: (Informal) Easily spread or transmitted.
Related Phrases
- Infectious period: The time during which an infected person can transmit the disease to others.
- Patients are most contagious during the infectious period.
- Non-infectious: Not capable of being spread by infection; not caused by an infectious agent.
- Arthritis is typically a non-infectious condition.
Related Idioms
- Spread like wildfire: To become known or disseminated very rapidly and uncontrollably, similar to how an infectious disease can spread.
- The news of their victory spread like wildfire through the town.
Adjective
- of or relating to infection
- infectious hospital
- infectious disease
- easily spread; children catch it from their elders"- Bertrand Russell
- fear is exceedingly infectious
- caused by infection or capable of causing infection
- viruses and other infective agents
- a carrier remains infective without himself showing signs of the disease