social disease
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of social disease
First recorded in 1915–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
William Osler, often described as the father of modern medicine, put it like this: “Tuberculosis is a social disease with a medical aspect.”
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2025
Antisemitism, like Anti-Arabism and racism, is a social disease that can be confronted only by us standing together, Syrian- and Israeli-sympathizing Americans alike.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022
PC, though, is just the symptom of a more virulent social disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2016
"A kid is not going to get head lice unless he or she has friends. This is a social disease."
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2015
For this social disease of gossip resembles that distemper which, at the present moment, threatens the chestnut forests of America.
From Vanishing Roads and Other Essays by Le Gallienne, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
