pestilent

[ pes-tl-uhnt ]

adjective

1. producing or tending to produce infectious or contagious, often epidemic, disease; pestilential.
2. destructive to life; deadly; poisonous.
3. injurious to peace, morals, etc.; pernicious.
4. troublesome, annoying, or mischievous.

pestilent

/ ˈpɛstɪlənt /

adjective

1. annoying; irritating
2. highly destructive morally or physically; pernicious
3. infected with or likely to cause epidemic or infectious disease

Derived Forms

• ˈpestilently, adverb

Other Word Forms

• pesti·lent·ly adverb
• anti·pesti·lent adjective
• anti·pesti·lent·ly adverb
• non·pesti·lent adjective
• non·pesti·lent·ly adverb
• un·pesti·lent adjective
• un·pesti·lent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of pestilent¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pestilent- (stem of pestilēns ) unhealthy, noxious, alteration of pestilentus, equivalent to pesti- (stem of pestis ) pest + -lentus -lent

Word History and Origins

Origin of pestilent¹

C15: from Latin pestilens unwholesome, from pestis plague

Example Sentences

A swath of the Santa Clarita Valley is under a first-of-its-kind quarantine after the invasive and pestilent tau fruit fly was found in the area, officials announced this week.

From Los Angeles Times

But racist real estate rules and low pay sequestered Mexican workers and their families in cramped, often pestilent shacks, where deadly tuberculosis spread just like COVID-19 has today.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump is a proven misogynist, a racist and a ball of pestilent, narcissistic slime.

From Salon

He gets as far as lamenting that the Earth itself “appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors” before being blown up by a rocket.

From The Verge

By Galloway’s reckoning, the pestilent side effects of unbridled capitalism could be boiled down, in both cause and solution, to women’s willingness in the bedroom.

From Washington Post

Quiz

Q: Fill in the blank: "Salchipapas" is a portmanteau of the Spanish words for ______ and ______.

• salt and potatoes
• sausage and French fries
• sardines and French fries

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