1
as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another
proper hand washing will help prevent the spread of most pestilent diseases
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in annoying
causing annoyance
pestilent reporters hounding him night and day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
pestilent diseases such as bubonic plague and smallpox
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pestilent
Long dismissed as pestilent rodents, beavers are now coming to be understood as autonomous biosphere managers that may be indispensable in the fight against the effects of climate chaos.
—
New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
New York scored a big win in its comeback over the pestilent Houston Rockets on Monday.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
The high densities of brine flies — so dense shorelines can look like they are matted with tar — are an indication of a healthy lake, not a pestilent one.
—Daniel Rothberg, Vox, 1 Oct. 2024
The former was true in the Pelicans' Game 4 as the eagle-wingspan need small forward Jones' and pestilent 6-foot Alvarado's varied physical traits held him to a playoff career-low four points and caused three turnovers.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2022
Island living looks like a privilege when the world is pestilent.
—New York Times, 31 Oct. 2020
Herbicides also are available to contend with the pestilent plant.
—cleveland, 30 June 2020
But the tropical type of milkweed survives cold winters, and so does its pestilent guest.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015
New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.
—ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
New York scored a big win in its comeback over the pestilent Houston Rockets on Monday.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
The high densities of brine flies — so dense shorelines can look like they are matted with tar — are an indication of a healthy lake, not a pestilent one.
—Daniel Rothberg, Vox, 1 Oct. 2024
The former was true in the Pelicans' Game 4 as the eagle-wingspan need small forward Jones' and pestilent 6-foot Alvarado's varied physical traits held him to a playoff career-low four points and caused three turnovers.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2022
Island living looks like a privilege when the world is pestilent.
—New York Times, 31 Oct. 2020
Herbicides also are available to contend with the pestilent plant.
—cleveland, 30 June 2020
But the tropical type of milkweed survives cold winters, and so does its pestilent guest.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestilent
Adjective
-
This is what makes Marty a beautiful person, is that burning desire and that passion inside of him can be infectious.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Her enthusiasm for the arts in form and history is infectious.—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Everybody’s a critic, and critics can be very annoying.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The former, which would prohibit defense contractors from using Claude in their government workflows, was annoying for Anthropic, but endurable.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Her government is to scrap a lethal arms exports ban in the coming weeks to promote Japan's defense industry and cooperation with the United States and other friendly nations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Air Force now aims to translate those lessons into a portable, lethal system.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.—
Daniel Taylor,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 July 2024
Adjective
-
Here's where things get a bit irritating.—
Justin Pot,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than focusing on clarity with harsh actives, a key component to the glass skin trend is using gentle, non-irritating ingredients that take your skin to a healthier state.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The drink contained nearly five times what is considered a deadly amount of the opioid, court filings showed.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The strike came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged fire along their common border, killing four people in Afghanistan, as the deadliest fighting between the neighbors in years entered a third week.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
What made the situation especially frustrating was that there appeared to be plenty of space on the playground and along the hiking trails.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
-
But sports games are likely to be moved elsewhere for much of the spring season, frustrating the parents of over 2,000 kids registered in baseball and softball leagues at Welles Park Parent Association, a volunteer organization for youth baseball and softball.—
Laura Turbay,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For animals with severe toxicities, dialysis can be used to treat kidney failure as well as to extract poisonous substances from the blood, preventing further damage.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
-
If the flowers of sweet almond trees are pollinated with pollen from their bitter almond cousins, the resulting nuts are likely to be poisonous.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestilent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilent. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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