smallpox
noun
small·pox
ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks 
: 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
In the days before vaccines, smallpox and polio and measles killed.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
Diseases like smallpox, which once killed 30 percent of those infected, have been eradicated thanks to vaccination.
—Tim Ryan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
Scientists were only starting to piece together that contaminated water, not flawed character, caused cholera; that smallpox probably originated in rodents; and that yellow fever was the vector work of the lowly mosquito, not the result of immigration or rotting vegetables.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Ending polio will be a historic public health milestone, making polio the second infectious disease, after smallpox, to be certified eradicated.
—Cynthia Tully, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
Diseases like smallpox, which once killed 30 percent of those infected, have been eradicated thanks to vaccination.
—Tim Ryan, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
Scientists were only starting to piece together that contaminated water, not flawed character, caused cholera; that smallpox probably originated in rodents; and that yellow fever was the vector work of the lowly mosquito, not the result of immigration or rotting vegetables.
—Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Ending polio will be a historic public health milestone, making polio the second infectious disease, after smallpox, to be certified eradicated.
—Cynthia Tully, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for smallpox
Cite this Entry
“Smallpox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smallpox. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smallpox
noun
small·pox
ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks
: 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
: 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 minorLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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