smallpox

noun

small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks How to pronounce smallpox (audio)
: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus (species Variola virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus), is characterized by a skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and is believed to have been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination

called also variola

Examples of smallpox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Over the past 50 years, medical and public health advances have led to the eradication of smallpox globally and the elimination of polio in the U.S. HIV/AIDS, once a death sentence, is now a disease that can be managed with medication. Deborah Fuller, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025 Benjamin Franklin was not only a political thinker but a scientist and a brave advocate of smallpox inoculation. Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025 Unlike smallpox, there is no vaccine or treatment to stop Guinea worm disease. Evan Bush, NBC News, 31 Dec. 2024 One of the first major projects the WHO was involved in was a global immunization campaign that eventually led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980. Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for smallpox

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smallpox was circa 1562

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Cite this Entry

“Smallpox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smallpox. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

smallpox

noun
small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks How to pronounce smallpox (audio)
: a sometimes deadly disease that is caused by a virus, is characterized by fever and a skin rash, and is believed to have been wiped out worldwide as a result of vaccination

Medical Definition

smallpox

noun
small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks How to pronounce smallpox (audio)
: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus of the genus Orthopoxvirus (species Variola virus), is characterized by skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and is believed to have been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination

called also variola

see variola major, variola minor

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