infectious

infectious is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 3 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 36 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.

Definitions

  1. 1.Corrupting, or tending to corrupt or contaminate; vitiating; demoralizing. It [the court] is necessary for the polishing of manners . . . but it is infectious even to the best morals to live always in it. Dryden.
  2. 2.(Law) Contaminating with illegality; exposing to seizure and forfeiture. Contraband articles are said to be of an infectious nature. Kent.
  3. 3.Capable of being easily diffused or spread; sympathetic; readily communicated; as, infectious mirth. The laughter was so genuine as to be infectious. W. Black.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Synonyms (Webster's 1913)

  • see contagious

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Related questions

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is infectious.

Sources

  • Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
  • Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
  • Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/infectious
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