roseola

American  

[roh-zee-uh-luh, roh-zee-oh-luh] / roʊˈzi ə lə, ˌroʊ ziˈoʊ lə /

noun

Pathology.

1. a kind of rose-colored rash.

2. rubella.

---

roseola British  

/ rəʊˈziːələ /

noun

1. a feverish condition of young children that lasts for some five days during the last two of which the patient has a rose-coloured rash. It is caused by the human herpes virus

2. any red skin eruption or rash

---

Other Word Forms

• roseolar
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of roseola

1810–20; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin rose ( us ) rose-colored + -ola -ole ¹

Compare meaning

How does roseola compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• scarlet fever vs. roseola
• roseola vs. rubella

Example Sentences

HHV-6B infects roughly 90 percent of children by age two and is best known for causing roseola infantum -- or "sixth disease" -- the most common cause of febrile seizures in young children.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

The disease is characterized by respiratory symptoms, fever, conjunctivitis and a rash that can be mistaken for roseola, scarlet fever or other viral infections.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

Before medication had had time to make any impression on the disease, roseola appeared.

From The Electric Bath by Schweig, George M.

When examined these ulcers presented the peculiarities of chancres, and there was upon the body of the patient a well-marked syphilitic roseola.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)

In a valuable report on the K�nigsberg epidemic of 1879-80, Meschede10 remarks that roseola was observed in cases complicated by exanthematic typhus, which prevailed simultaneously, but in no case of uncomplicated relapsing fever.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various