contagious meaning

contagious means 'able to spread from one person to another'.

contagious :

infectious, spreading

adjective

▪ The flu is contagious.

▪ The flu can spread easily.

▪ Her laughter was contagious.

▪ Her laughter spread to others.

paraphrasing

▪ infectious – able to spread

▪ communicable – can be passed on

▪ transmittable – can be transmitted

▪ catching – easy to catch

contagious

Pronunciation

contagious [kənˈteɪ.dʒəs]

The stress is on 'ta' and sounds like 'kuhn-tay-juhs'.

Common phrases and grammar about contagious

contagious - Common meaning

adjective
infectious, spreading

Part of Speech Changes for "contagious"

▪ contagion (noun) – the act of spreading disease

▪ contagiously (adverb) – in a way that spreads easily

Common Expressions with "contagious"

▪ contagious disease – a disease that spreads easily

▪ contagious laughter – laughter that spreads to others

▪ highly contagious – very easy to spread

▪ contagious enthusiasm – enthusiasm that spreads to others

Important examples of contagious in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, contagious often describes diseases or emotions that spread.

▪The disease is highly contagious.
▪The disease spreads easily.

Example of a confusing word: contiguous (adjacent or touching)

▪The disease is highly contiguous.
▪The properties are contiguous to each other.
"Contagious" is an adjective used to describe something, usually a disease or emotion, that can be transmitted from one person to another. In the sentence "The disease is highly contagious," it correctly indicates that the disease spreads easily. "Contiguous," on the other hand, means "adjacent" or "touching" and is used to describe things that are physically next to each other, such as properties or land. Using "contiguous" in place of "contagious" is grammatically incorrect and changes the meaning entirely. Therefore, "contagious" is the correct choice in this context.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

Contagious is often used as an adjective in TOEIC grammar questions to describe nouns.

▪His enthusiasm is contagious.
▪His enthusiasm spreads to others.

contagious

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

contagious disease

'a disease that spreads', used in health contexts.

▪The flu is a contagious disease.
▪The flu is a disease that spreads.

contagious smile

means 'a smile that makes others smile'.

▪Her smile is contagious.
▪Her smile makes others smile.

Differences between similar words and contagious

contagious

,

infectious

differences

Contagious is used for diseases that spread by contact, while infectious can spread in other ways too.

contagious
▪The cold is contagious.
▪The cold spreads by contact.
infectious
▪The virus is infectious.
▪The virus spreads in many ways.
contagious

Words with the same origin as contagious

The origin of contagious

contagious comes from the Latin 'contagiosus', meaning 'to touch together'.

Word structure

It has the prefix con (together), root tag (touch), suffix ious (adjective), and means 'able to touch together'.

Words with the same origin

The root of contagious is tag (touch). Words with the same root include tangible (able to be touched).

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