pestilential
adjective
pes·ti·len·tial
ˌpe-stə-ˈlen(t)-shəl 
1
a
: causing or tending to cause pestilence : deadly
b
: of or relating to pestilence
2
: morally harmful : pernicious
3
: giving rise to vexation or annoyance : irritating
Examples of pestilential in a Sentence
these pestilential little mosquitoes!
Recent Examples on the Web
Here a book worth considering is ‘From third world to first’ - Lee Kwan Yew's first person story of transforming Singapore from a pestilential swamp into a metropolis.
—
Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Here a book worth considering is ‘From third world to first’ - Lee Kwan Yew's first person story of transforming Singapore from a pestilential swamp into a metropolis.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
But life back then was pretty sketchy and precarious even without pestilential rats running around, unbound.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2023
He is reported to have participated in a pestilential online gun culture, replete with tasteless japing about mass shootings.
—wsj.com, 12 May 2023
This includes whenever there the existence of any malignant, contagious, or pestilential disease in the County, to investigate such report and ascertain, as correctly as possible, the causes which produced such disease, to adopt measures to arrest its progress.
—Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2022
The Spanish flu washed over the world in three pestilential waves during 1918 and 1919.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 23 June 2021
Our national experience with the role of state and local governments in casino gambling should have taught us that there is a world of difference between sensible reform and making government a revenue-seeking partner in a pestilential business.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 Dec. 2020
Adding to these burdens were the poor soil and periodic ravages of the pestilential boll weevil.
—Trevor Paulhus, Smithsonian, 19 Sep. 2019
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Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Here a book worth considering is ‘From third world to first’ - Lee Kwan Yew's first person story of transforming Singapore from a pestilential swamp into a metropolis.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
But life back then was pretty sketchy and precarious even without pestilential rats running around, unbound.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2023
He is reported to have participated in a pestilential online gun culture, replete with tasteless japing about mass shootings.
—wsj.com, 12 May 2023
This includes whenever there the existence of any malignant, contagious, or pestilential disease in the County, to investigate such report and ascertain, as correctly as possible, the causes which produced such disease, to adopt measures to arrest its progress.
—Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2022
The Spanish flu washed over the world in three pestilential waves during 1918 and 1919.
—Damon Linker, The Week, 23 June 2021
Our national experience with the role of state and local governments in casino gambling should have taught us that there is a world of difference between sensible reform and making government a revenue-seeking partner in a pestilential business.
—The Editors, National Review, 7 Dec. 2020
Adding to these burdens were the poor soil and periodic ravages of the pestilential boll weevil.
—Trevor Paulhus, Smithsonian, 19 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Pestilential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pestilential. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pestilential
adjective
pes·ti·len·tial
ˌpes-tə-ˈlen-chəl
: causing or likely to cause pestilence
Medical Definition
pestilential
adjective
pes·ti·len·tial
ˌpes-tə-ˈlen-chəl
1
: causing or tending to cause pestilence
2
: of or relating to pestilence
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