smallpox

noun

small·​pox ˈsmȯl-ˌpäks 

: an acute contagious febrile disease of humans that is caused by a poxvirus (Orthopoxvirus variola), is characterized by a skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and has been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination

called also variola

Examples of smallpox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The variola virus that caused smallpox is thought to have been spread among humans for a few thousand years. —Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Global health officials are aiming to replicate the success of eradicating smallpox, which in 1980 became the first disease to be eliminated through human efforts. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025

Edward Jenner was able to formulate a makeshift smallpox vaccine all the way back in 1798, but even back then, people weren’t very normal about it. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 3 Dec. 2025

For example, the filmmakers were researching how smallpox threatened the Continental Army when the Covid pandemic started. —Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smallpox

• botox
• checkbox
• comox
• cornstalks
• cowpox
• crosswalks
• deadlocks
• detox
• feedstocks
• firebox
• gearbox
• hemlocks

Kids 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 (Orthopoxvirus variola), is characterized by skin eruption with pustules, sloughing, and scar formation, and has been eradicated globally by widespread vaccination

called also variola

see variola major, variola minor