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Synonyms

chlamydia

American  
[kluh-mid-ee-uh] / kləˈmɪd i ə /

noun

plural

chlamydiae

  1. Microbiology. any coccoid rickettsia of the genus Chlamydia, parasitic in birds and mammals, including humans, and causing various infections, especially of the eyes, as trachoma, lungs, as psittacosis, and genitourinary tract, as urethritis or chlamydia.

  2. Also called lymphogranuloma venereum.  Pathology. a widespread, often asymptomatic sexually transmitted disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, a major cause of nongonococcal urethritis in men and pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy in women.

chlamydia British  
/ kləˈmɪdɪə /

noun

  1. any Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Chlamydia , which are obligate intracellular parasites and are responsible for such diseases as trachoma, psittacosis, and some sexually transmitted diseases

"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
chlamydia Scientific  
/ klə-mĭd′ē-ə /

plural

chlamydiae

  1. Any of various bacteria of the genus Chlamydia, several species of which cause common infections in humans and animals, including neonatal conjunctivitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, pharyngitis, and sexually transmitted infections of the pelvis and urethra.

Etymology

Origin of chlamydia

First recorded in 1945 in an article by Helen Jones, Geoffrey Rake, and Barbara Stearns as the proposed name of a taxon; 1966 in the current sense; from New Latin, from Greek chlamyd- (stem of chlamýs chlamys ) + New Latin -ia -ia

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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.

And there was: There had been some progress, with oxytetracycline, OTC for short, a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat chlamydia and sometimes syphilis in humans.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The rates of chlamydia remained about the same in 2023 as the year prior.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025

Of the top reasons koalas are brought into wildlife hospitals – vehicle strikes, pet attacks and chlamydia – the bacterial infection is the biggest and deadliest.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

A veterinary nurse treats a koala infected with chlamydia at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital in Currumbin, Australia.Credit...

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2024

The treatment is considered very effective at preventing chlamydia and syphilis, but may be less effective against gonorrhea; protection against gonorrhea may vary because some strains are resistant to doxycycline, Stewart said.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 14, 2023

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.