bacterial vaginosis

noun

: vaginitis that is marked by a grayish vaginal discharge usually of foul odor and that is associated with the presence of excessive amounts of some bacteria (especially Gardnerella vaginalis)

called also nonspecific vaginitis

Examples of bacterial vaginosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Providers typically only consider testing for ureaplasma after ruling out gonorrhea, chlamydia, Mgen, trichomoniasis, yeast and bacterial vaginosis, a slow process that can leave patients cycling through treatments for weeks. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Gonorrhea Chlamydia Mgen Trichomoniasis Yeast bacterial vaginosis How is ureaplasma diagnosed? — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2026

Providers typically consider testing for it only after ruling out the more common suspects behind STI-like symptoms, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, Mgen, trichomoniasis, yeast and bacterial vaginosis. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026

Some social media users claim that their boyfriend’s bad habits resulted in everything from cavities to recurring bacterial vaginosis. — Georgia Casey, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bacterial vaginosis

• agranulocytosis
• antituberculosis
• arteriosclerosis
• neurofibromatosis
• acanthosis
• acidosis
• alkalosis
• amaurosis
• ankylosis
• asbestosis
• brucellosis
• cyanosis

Medical Definition

bacterial vaginosis

noun

bacterial vag·​i·​no·​sis -ˌvaj-ə-ˈnō-səs 

: vaginitis that is marked by a grayish vaginal discharge usually of foul odor and that is associated with the presence of a bacterium especially of the genus Gardnerella (G. vaginalis synonym Haemophilus vaginalis)

—abbreviation BV

called also nonspecific vaginitis