rapid spread
1
3.7
- noun
:
propagación rápida
- Aside from simplicity, early returns, and low cost, other factors contributed to the rapid spread of FMNR.
- rapid spread of the disease
Examples
-
One religious leader enthused: "The number of declared conversions runs into 'tens of thousands,' and suggests the rapid spread of Christianity in early Pentecostal days."
Academic text (2004) -
The post-1985 economic crisis that affected most Rwandans also played a role in promoting the rapid spread of genocidal ideology.
Academic text (1997) -
Knowing the origin of the mosquito helped us to understand its rapid spread.
Academic text (1992) -
In the modern world, the rapid spread of new inventions and techniques challenges the ability of social systems to absorb these changes.
Academic text (1993) -
The diminished quality of life has resulted in rising drug abuse and the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS.
Academic text (2001) -
The most pressing health problem in Zambia over the last decade or so has been the rapid spread of HIV infection and AIDS.
Academic text (1997) -
The rapid spread of cell phones in recent years enabled protestors everywhere to film and publicize abuses.
Academic text (2012) -
In China today, a dramatic shift in sexual behaviors among adolescents coincides with the rapid spread of STDs, including HIV/AIDS.
Academic text (2006) -
Phibun reinvigorated the military and established extensive linkages with the United States, which was concerned about the rapid spread of communism in Asia, particularly in China, Korea, and Vietnam.
Academic text (2001) -
A characteristic feature of pandemics is their rapid spread to all parts of the world.
Synonyms
188
3.5
A sudden start of disease or violence that affects many people
89
2.5
An increase in size or amount over an area
78
9.5
A rapid increase in the number or amount of something
13
2.8
A quick increase in size, number, or importance
1
9.1
A fast, uncontrolled spread of something harmful
1
2.3
The movement of something over a larger area or among people
Antonyms
How Fast
1
3.7
5
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a sudden or very quick increase or dissemination' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'rapid' (happening with high speed) with 'spread' (to be widely disseminated). This adjective + noun compositional pattern is common and predictable across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Rapid spread gives a simple image: something moving out very fast, like a small fire jumping across dry grass or a spill running across a table. The word rapid means very fast and spread means to move out in all directions, so rapid spread describes a 'sudden or very quick increase' of something, often something bad like a disease or invasive species.