gay plague

noun

Synonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Similar
acquired immunodeficiency syndromeAIDS4H diseasegay cancergay-related immunodeficiencyGRIDacquired immune deficiency syndrome
First used Used in the 1980s.
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noungay plague (uncountable)
  1. datedoffensiveslanguncountableSynonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).First known use Used in the 1980s.

    And it aims to launch upon this task in an era of superlative need and supreme difficulty, the frightening era of ‘the gay plague,’ AIDS.

    1989, Marshall Kirk, Hunter Madsen, After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the '90s, Doubleday Books, page xiii

    Synonyms: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, 4H disease, gay cancer, gay-related immunodeficiency, GRID, acquired immune deficiency syndrome

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Similar
acquired immunodeficiency syndromeAIDS4H diseasegay cancergay-related immunodeficiencyGRIDacquired immune deficiency syndrome
Also see
4h diseaseacquired immunodeficiency syndromeaidsgay cancergay-related immunodeficiencygridhiv

Origin

From being an epidemic spreading through the gay community.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

gay plague. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20plague

MLA

“gay plague.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20plague. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gay plague,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gay%20plague.

Source: gay plague on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.