ep·i·dem·ic 
/ˌɛpəˈdɛmɪk/ noun
plural ep·i·dem·ics /ˌɛpəˈdɛmɪk/ noun [count] 1 medical : an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people
▪ a flu epidemic ▪ the AIDS epidemic 2 : a sudden quickly spreading occurrence of something harmful or unwanted
▪ a crime epidemic ▪ an epidemic of bankruptcies
▪ a flu epidemic ▪ the AIDS epidemic
▪ a crime epidemic ▪ an epidemic of bankruptcies
— epidemic adjective
▪ an epidemic disease ▪ The violence has now reached epidemic proportions.
▪ an epidemic disease ▪ The violence has now reached epidemic proportions.
