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.
Until recently, it was considered a social disease and was illegal except in limited circumstances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
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
"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
The evil grew worse rather than better, and by the time of the great Governor Cochrane, in 1825, it had assumed the form of an inveterate social disease.
From The Story of Newfoundland by Frederick Edwin Smith, Earl of Birkenhead
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
