C2nounformalhealth
US/kənˈteɪ.dʒən/
UK/kənˈteɪ.dʒən/
the spread of disease by close contact; also the fast spread of a feeling or problem
In context
Hospitals isolate patients with measles to reduce the risk of contagion.
Economists feared financial contagion as the crisis spread from one bank to another.
Researchers study the emotional contagion of panic in large crowds.
Words that go with contagion
noun + preposition
- risk of contagionMasks lower the risk of contagion in crowded waiting rooms.
- fear of contagionFear of contagion kept many shoppers away from markets during the outbreak.
- source of contagionDirty well water was the main source of contagion in the village.
adjective + noun
- emotional contagionPsychologists use the term emotional contagion to explain why yawns and laughs spread.
- financial contagionRegulators acted quickly to stop financial contagion spreading across Asia.
- social contagionSome experts see vaping among teenagers as a form of social contagion.