a bad outbreak

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a bad outbreak" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a negative or severe occurrence of a disease or phenomenon, typically in a public health context. Example: "The region is facing a bad outbreak of the flu, leading to increased hospitalizations and public concern."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

4 human-written examples

The TUC described Britain as "exporting their anti-worker position into Europe and it is spreading like a bad outbreak of gastric flu".

The Guardian - Opinion

Still, Dr. Weiss added, "The theory that everybody's talking about is that maybe because New York had such a bad outbreak in the spring, it won't be so bad in the fall".

The New York Times

Most amusing moment Earlier in the autumn series someone within the squad decided to impersonate the forwards coach John Wells and ring up the Bristol hooker Mark Regan to tell him England were thinking of recalling him because of a bad outbreak of hay fever in the team.

The Guardian - Sport

The fungus wiped out Sri Lanka's coffee plantations entirely in the late 1800s, and there was a bad outbreak in 2013 in Central America.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

The Saudi-led coalition's crushing campaign of airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, and its blockade on imports, has exacerbated an historically bad outbreak of cholera that experts say was entirely preventable.

Vice

For living color, turn to "The Lassa Ward," which effortlessly transmits both the facts and the fascination of a bad infectious outbreak.

The New York Times

Ask if you can do breaking news, such as if there is a bad weather outbreak in your area.

WikiHow

You have a bad acne outbreak right before going on a hot date, even though you haven't had a pimple in weeks.

WikiHow

A protest would be shown on the news and treated like it was a minor annoyance, like a bad storm or an outbreak of flu.

The Guardian

In a world where fortunes are made and lost over the evanescent jitterings of fractions of audience share, the Nielsen announcement was the equivalent of a nuclear strike, a smallpox outbreak and a bad hair day all rolled into one.

The New York Times

And I think having the government shut down — particularly during a bad flu season, in a setting of outbreaks — could very well cost American lives.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a disease-related event, use "a bad outbreak" to clearly convey its severity and negative impact on public health.

Common error

Avoid using overly vague adjectives like "significant" or "notable" without providing specific details about the outbreak's impact. Instead, clearly articulate the reasons why the outbreak is considered "bad", such as high mortality rates or widespread transmission.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a bad outbreak" functions as a noun phrase, where "bad" modifies the noun "outbreak". According to Ludwig, this phrase is correct and usable in written English. It's used to describe a negative instance of an event, predominantly related to health or disease.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

63%

Science

25%

Wiki

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "a bad outbreak" is a grammatically sound and usable expression in English, primarily employed to describe a severe or negative instance, most commonly related to diseases or health crises. As Ludwig AI confirms, it functions as a noun phrase and serves to inform and convey concern. While not overly formal, it maintains a neutral register suitable for news and general communication. For more formal or scientific contexts, alternatives such as "a severe epidemic" or "a significant increase in cases" might be more appropriate. The phrase's uncommon frequency suggests targeted usage in specific circumstances requiring emphasis on the negative impact of an outbreak.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a severe epidemic

Replaces "outbreak" with "epidemic", emphasizing the widespread nature and severity of the occurrence, and "bad" with "severe" which has the same intensity.

a serious health crisis

Substitutes "outbreak" with the broader term "health crisis", indicating a critical situation concerning health; "bad" is replaced by "serious" maintaining the gravity of the situation.

a major disease flare-up

Replaces "outbreak" with "flare-up", implying a sudden and intense recurrence of a disease, and "bad" with "major" to underline its importance.

a significant wave of infections

Uses "wave of infections" instead of "outbreak", describing the increase in infections; "bad" is replaced with "significant" keeping the importance of the situation.

an alarming surge in cases

Uses "surge in cases" instead of "outbreak", indicating a rapid increase in the number of cases; "bad" is replaced with "alarming", which highlights the concern the situation causes.

a problematic health emergency

Uses "health emergency" instead of "outbreak", denoting a situation that poses an immediate risk to public health; "bad" is replaced with "problematic" highlighting the challenging nature.

a critical public health event

Substitutes "outbreak" with "public health event", signifying an occurrence with public health implications and replaces "bad" with "critical" showing its high importance.

a terrible disease resurgence

Replaces "outbreak" with "resurgence", suggesting a return after a period of decline, and replaces "bad" with "terrible" maintaining the negative implication.

a worrying cluster of illnesses

Uses "cluster of illnesses" instead of "outbreak", indicating a group of similar cases, and replaces "bad" with "worrying" highlighting the level of concern.

an unfortunate series of epidemics

Uses "series of epidemics" instead of "outbreak", emphasizing the presence of more events of the same type and replaces "bad" with "unfortunate" which highlights the negative nature of the situation.

FAQs

What's a more formal way to say "a bad outbreak"?

In formal contexts, consider using phrases like "a severe epidemic" or "a serious health crisis" to convey the gravity of the situation with greater precision.

How does "a bad outbreak" differ from "an epidemic"?

While both terms refer to the spread of disease, "an epidemic" generally describes a more widespread and prolonged occurrence, whereas "a bad outbreak" can refer to a more localized but intensely negative occurrence.

What are some alternative ways to describe the severity of an outbreak?

Instead of "bad", you could use adjectives like "alarming", "critical", "severe", or "major" to specify the level of impact and concern.

Is it appropriate to use "a bad outbreak" in scientific writing?

While understandable, "a bad outbreak" might be considered too informal for scientific writing. More precise and descriptive language, such as "a significant increase in cases" or "a severe disease resurgence", is generally preferred.