Meanings
- datedoffensiveslanguncountableSynonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).First known use Used in the 1980s.
Synonyms: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, 4H disease, gay plague, gay-related immunodeficiency, GRID, acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Origin
From gay (“homosexual”) + cancer (“disease”). From the fact that HIV/AIDS was in its beginnings very disproportionately found in homosexual men. The word “cancer” from the analogy with a suddenly emerging, highly feared and highly lethal disease.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
gay cancer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20cancer
“gay cancer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20cancer. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gay cancer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20cancer.
Source: gay cancer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.