“Infectious Smile” – Here’s The Meaning (+5 Good Synonyms)

Usually, “infectious” is an undesirable adjective that we relate to catching diseases. However, the phrase “infectious smile” actually connotes quite the opposite. This article will explore what it means and how to use it (as well as some synonyms that might better suit you).

What Does It Mean To Have An “Infectious Smile”?

An “infectious smile” is something that people have that causes other people to want to smile with them. It’s usually linked to someone’s bubbly or outgoing personality, and when they smile, everyone else does because they can’t help themselves. It’s a compliment to have one.

The definition of “infectious,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is”something that is infectious has an effect on everyone who is present and makes them want to join in.”

Usually, “infectious” refers to catching a virus or disease from another person. In this instance, the disease is a “smile,” which means we only catch it ourselves when someone else smiles (resulting in a smiling chain bouncing from person to person).

Examples Of How To Use “Infectious Smile” In A Sentence

It might help you to see some examples to understand how the phrase is used. We’ll include a good selection so you can see when it works best.

1. He’s got the most infectious smile I’ve ever seen, and I love being around him.
2. You truly have an infectious smile, and you make me laugh every day.
3. I love you because of your infectious smile, and I don’t ever want you to change!
4. She’s got such an infectious smile and is a joy to be around.
5. We’ve been told that our smiles are infectious if you’d like to try and test that theory!
6. They have infectious smiles, every last one of them!
7. You have an infectious smile, and I wouldn’t know what to do without you around.

An “infectious smile” is something that most people want to have. It’s a smile that allows other people to respond positively to it and start smiling themselves.

It’s most people’s goal to spread joy and happiness to the people around them, and those with “infectious smiles” often don’t have to try very hard. If they set up a nice group around them, they’ll almost always find a way to make their friends and family laugh and smile.

Is A Smile Infectious Or Contagious?

“Infectious” and “contagious” both refer to catching diseases. However, both adjectives are also perfect at describing somebody’s smile, and we thought it might help to see some statistics for that.

According to this graph, a smile is both “infectious” and “contagious.” An “infectious smile” is the most popular phrase of the two, though it seems that both phrases started to gain popularity in the late 1800s.

We say “infectious smile” more than “contagious smile” and treat the “smile” like a disease (though a pleasant disease that we all want to get). There is no real reason between the two differences other than more people understanding what “infectious” means.

“Infectious” comes from the word “infect,” which most people attribute to something you can catch or get from another person. This makes it much easier to explain to people what an “infectious smile” is.

Generally, “contagious” isn’t as well known and doesn’t have a specific root word. Many people try not to use it because it can be confusing if you don’t understand what it means.

Is Infectious A Compliment?

If somebody says that you have an “infectious smile,” it is a compliment. They might also say you have an “infectious laugh,” which is another compliment. However, if someone simply calls you “infectious,” they might be insulting you.

The context is hugely important when it comes to using words like “infectious.” Usually, the adjective is used in more negative connotations. It means that you have an undesirable quality (like a disease) that most people want to avoid.

However, if we include the nouns “smile” or “laugh” after it, it changes from an insult to a compliment. This simple change is a nuance of English that you won’t find in many other languages.

5 Good Synonyms For “Infectious Smile”

If you worry about using “infectious” as a positive adjective, it might help you to learn about some synonyms for saying “infectious smile.”

• Irresistible smile
• Captivating smile
• Engaging smile
• Winning smile
• Catchy smile

These synonyms are great ways to talk about someone’s smile that ends up causing other people to smile. We can use strong adjectives to talk about the effect that someone else’s smile has on our own.

Does “Infectious Laugh” Mean The Same As “Infectious Smile”?

We can have an “infectious laugh” just like we can have an “infectious smile.” An “infectious laugh” is something that happens when we laugh and cause everyone around us to laugh as well.

Someone with an “infectious laugh” often has something unique or entertaining about the way they laugh. This uniqueness then triggers a response in the people listening to it that causes them to laugh as well.

Sometimes, you’ll laugh at someone else’s “Infectious laugh” without even knowing why they’re laughing in the first place. That’s the key quality of an infectious laugh – leading people to laugh at something they don’t understand.

We can also look at this graph to see how popular “infectious laugh” is. We included “contagious laugh” as another option, and you can see that “Infectious laugh” is a hugely more popular phrase in comparison.

Can A Person Also Have An “Infectious Personality”?

You can also have an “infectious personality,” which means you have a personality that infects other people and can affect them in a positive or negative way.

Unlike the other two (smile and laugh), an “infectious personality” isn’t always a good thing. We can use it in positive and negative ways.

In positive ways, we might see the following:

• You’re always up for a party and have such an infectious personality!
• I wouldn’t have considered coming out tonight if it wasn’t for your infectious personality.

Here, we have somebody who has a personality that causes the people around them to be adventurous and try new things.

In a bad way, we might see the following:

• You’re always in such a bad mood, and you have an infectious personality that brings everyone else down.

Instead of being the life of the party, someone who is in a bad mood might have an infectious personality, which causes the people around them to also be in a bad mood.

You may also like:
11 Best Words For A “Fake Smile” (Synonyms)
11 Words For A Person Who Is Always Smiling