Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

venereal

American  
[vuh-neer-ee-uhl] / vəˈnɪər i əl /

adjective

  1. arising from, connected with, or transmitted through sexual intercourse, as an infection.

  2. pertaining to conditions so arising.

  3. infected with or suffering from a sexually transmitted disease.

    a venereal patient.

  4. adapted to the cure of such disease.

    a venereal remedy.

  5. of or relating to sexual desire or intercourse.

  6. serving or tending to excite sexual desire; aphrodisiac.


venereal British  
/ vɪˈnɪərɪəl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or infected with venereal disease

  2. (of a disease) transmitted by sexual intercourse

  3. of, relating to, or involving the genitals

  4. of or relating to sexual intercourse or erotic desire; aphrodisiac

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of venereal

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin venere ( us ) of sexual love ( vener-, stem of venus sexual charm ( see Venus) + -eus adj. suffix) + -al 1

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.

See Examples For:

While syphilis as a venereal disease presents a global health risk, bejel, which is spread by skin contact, only occurs today in very arid regions of Africa and Asia.

From Science Daily Jan. 24, 2024

Three years earlier, while pursuing graduate work in history, Buxtun had taken a job at the local Public Health Service office in 1965; he was tasked with tracking venereal disease cases in the Bay Area.

From Seattle Times Jul. 24, 2022

Unlike the pilfering Bellow, Hemingway and Sebald evoked by Barliant, Mann showed a gift for unsolicited largess — endowing his fellow expatriate Arnold Schoenberg with a fictional venereal disease.

From New York Times Nov. 24, 2021

Domestic dogs make up another species that has low genetic diversity and is susceptible to transmissible cancer—specifically, canine transmissible venereal tumors.

From Slate Oct. 14, 2021

Traders and procurers from up and down the coast converged on Charleston, checking the merchandises eyes and joints and spines, wary of venereal distemper and other afflictions.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training