communicable

adjective

com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce communicable (audio)
1
: capable of being communicated : transmittable
communicable diseases
a communicable skin rash
see also communicable disease
2
: communicative
prove myself a gentleman, by being … virtuous and communicableIzaac Walton
communicability noun
communicableness noun
communicably adverb

Examples of communicable in a Sentence

communicable diseases that are usually transmitted sexually
Recent Examples on the Web Fear of disease, for example, can be as communicable as the microbes that cause it. Catherine Buerger, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 The new variants of the COVID-19 virus are reported to be very communicable, but weakened in strength — meaning that people are more likely to contract the virus but much less likely to land in the hospital, or even the doctor’s office, as a result of the illness caused by the virus. Amy Dickinson, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 The new variants of the COVID-19 virus are reported to be very communicable, but weakened in strength – meaning that people are more likely to contract the virus, but much less likely to land in the hospital – or even the doctor’s office – as a result of the illness caused by the virus. Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 17 Aug. 2022 The bubonic plague, caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, is believed to be the deadliest of these communicable cataclysms. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2021 In the aughties, indie fans experienced an all-caps-no-vowels craze — MGMT, MSTRKRFT, SBTRKT — as well as the sadistic alt-capping of tUnE-yArDs, which, thankfully, was not communicable. Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2021 Health care workers are now seeing whole families fall critically ill due to the highly communicable nature of the delta variant and the region’s low vaccination rate. Juliet Linderman and Claire Galofaro, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'communicable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of communicable was circa 1533

Dictionary Entries Near communicable

Cite this Entry

“Communicable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communicable. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

communicable

adjective
com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce communicable (audio)
: capable of being transferred or carried from one person or thing to another
communicable diseases
communicability noun

Medical Definition

communicable

adjective
com·​mu·​ni·​ca·​ble kə-ˈmyü-ni-kə-bəl How to pronounce communicable (audio)
: capable of being transmitted from person to person, animal to animal, animal to human, or human to animal : transmissible
communicability noun
plural communicabilities

More from Merriam-Webster on communicable

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