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Glite Dictionary
infectious laughter

infectious laughter

2.8
A happy sound that makes other people laugh
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈfɛkʃəs ˈlæftər/
: risa contagiosa
  • By her infectious laughter.

Examples

  • The child's infectious laughter was so delightful that it made even the grumpiest adults laugh along.

  • He makes this point by including the infectious laughter of his son, Elan.

    Blog text (23)

  • Just that Pinkie Pie's known all over the Kingdom of Equestria for her mad-infectious laughter.

    Playing with Fire (2019)

  • Her infectious laughter filled the entire room, making everyone around her smile and join in.

  • Whenever he tells a joke, his infectious laughter spreads through the crowd, causing a ripple of giggles.

Synonyms

contagious laugh
vsinfectious laughter
1 3.2

A laugh that makes other people start laughing too

shows stronger joy and more often makes others join in

Antonyms

sorrow
243 2.1

A deep feeling of sadness after a loss

seriousness
53 2.7

A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say

How Infectious

infectious laughter
2.8
to laugh
∞ 1.0
to giggle
153 1.0
to chuckle
237 2.0

Surface Forms

infectious laughter singular
infectious laughters plural

Morphology

infectious + laughter

The meaning 'laughter that spreads and makes others laugh' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'infectious' (spreads easily by influence) with 'laughter' (the sound of laughing). This adjective+noun composition and the metaphorical use of 'infectious' for emotions is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Infectious laughter comes from the image of a laugh spreading like a small illness: the word infectious suggests something that 'spreads' and laughter that people 'catch' from each other. So it means laughter so joyful it easily makes other people laugh.