疫病(えきびょう)

えきびょう
noun
epidemic; plague
formalmedical
1. epidemic; plague
A widespread infectious disease that affects many people in a region at the same time. Used broadly for both historical plagues and modern epidemics, often with a somewhat literary or formal tone.
疫病(えきびょう)が広(ひろ)がった。
An epidemic spread.
中世(ちゅうせい)ヨーロッパでは疫病(えきびょう)で多(おお)くの人(ひと)が亡(な)くなった。
In medieval Europe, many people died from epidemics.
疫病(えきびょう)の流行(りゅうこう)を防(ふせ)ぐために、政府(せいふ)は厳(きび)しい対策(たいさく)を取(と)った。
In order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, the government took strict measures.

Usage

A somewhat formal or literary word for epidemic or plague. In modern Japanese, 感染症(かんせんしょう) (infectious disease) and 伝染病(でんせんびょう) (contagious disease) are more common in everyday and medical contexts, while 疫病(えきびょう) tends to appear in historical narratives and dramatic descriptions.

Common collocations

Related Words

Synonym: 感染症(かんせんしょう) (infectious disease (modern))
general
Added 2026.2.26 19:29 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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