Definition of pestilence
1
: a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating
especially
: bubonic plague
2
: something that is destructive or pernicious
I'll pour this pestilence into his ear— William Shakespeare
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Who Knew?
-
- What is a ruelle?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
The first known use of pestilence was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century