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

Over the next 60 years, polio, measles, rubella, smallpox and other illnesses nearly vanished. — Dr. Marianne Parshley, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026

This is a sector that’s helped solve civilizational challenges like eradicating smallpox and lifting more than a billion people out of extreme poverty. — Max Simkoff, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

While smallpox is no longer a daily concern, the latest DNA discoveries can help public health officials, biologists, and epidemiologists prepare for and fight future disease outbreaks. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026

The now extinct lineage branched off after medieval European strains but before those that gave rise to modern smallpox. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1562, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smallpox

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

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