What does infectively mean?
Infectively is an adverb meaning in a manner that causes or involves infection. It can describe the way a disease is transmitted, as in a virus that spreads infectively through a population, or more figuratively, the way harmful influence or fear is communicated from person to person. The word is especially associated with medicine, public health, biology, and discussions of infection, though figurative uses are possible. In everyday conversation, people may more often say that something spreads contagiously or simply spreads. Infectively is formed from the adjective infective, meaning capable of causing infection. Its relatively formal character and the precise focus on the mode of infection make it useful in scientific and public-health writing, while its figurative applications can add vividness to descriptions of fear, rumor, or social influence.
adverbIn a manner capable of causing infection or of communicating an infectious disease or harmful influence.
- In a manner involving infection or capable of causing infection.
"The virus spread infectively through the crowded hospital."
"The bacteria can travel infectively through contaminated water."
"Fear of the disease spread infectively through the community."
The word infectively names the mechanism of spread: how something passes from one person or place to another.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does infectively come from?
The word belongs to the Latin root inficere, meaning to put into or stain, and ultimately to the Latin infectus, meaning tainted or corrupted. In English, infect developed in the sense of defiling or poisoning and later acquired its medical meaning of causing disease. Infectively derives from infective, an adjective formed within the same English word family and used especially for agents or substances capable of causing infection.
Related word forms
How infectively is actually used
This is a relatively formal and specialized adverb. In ordinary use, contagious or spread often sounds more natural when describing the transmission of disease.
Easily confused with infectively
Infectively describes the manner of causing infection, whereas infectiously more often conveys an enthusiastic or compelling quality.