incidence

noun

Definition of incidencenext
as in prevalence
the rate at which something happens They found an increased incidence of crime in the city when social programs were cut.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incidence Outside of the walls of clinics, interventions like these are helping to manage the high incidence of comorbid obesity, diabetes, and chronic conditions all too common in low-income communities. — Kyle Vanelli, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026 Perez shares how eating more plants lowers incidences of chronic health issues like heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 10 Aug. 2026 Cases have been on the rise in recent years, with overall incidence increasing about 3% annually from 2014 through 2021, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 One analysis of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older found nearly 60,000 incident cases of NTM pulmonary disease from 2010 to 2019, with incidence highest in the South and among women, Asian individuals and people aged 80 and older. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incidence
  1. prevalence
  2. occurrence
  3. frequency
Noun
  • The prevalence of tech firms as hotspots for talent signals a wider boom amid Australia’s startup scene, which in recent years has been attracting attention and investments from venture capitalists.
    — Charlotte Hu, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers behind the study, the largest ever of deceased NFL players’ brains, said the true prevalence of brain disease at death was probably higher.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of prevalence
Noun
  • Studies across the tree of life are finding that genome duplication isn’t exactly an infrequent occurrence.
    — Carrie Arnold Contributing, Quanta Magazine, 2 Sep. 2026
  • As dark occurrences begin to shatter the quiet of their isolated home, the boy is forced to navigate a harrowing psychological nightmare where the line between real-world madness and supernatural terror blurs.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of occurrence
Noun
  • The team designed miniature boats with three cavities tuned to different audible frequencies, enabling them to steer the boat in a particular direction by changing the frequency of the sound waves from a speaker.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Reducing transportation frequency lowers costs but also increases inventory risk and out-of-stock risk.
    — Guy Yehiav, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of frequency

Browse Nearby Words

inchoative
incidence
incident
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Incidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incidence. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of matriculate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All