as in plague
a widespread disease resulting in a high rate of death
the fear that terrorists could unleash a pestilence that would wreak unspeakable havoc
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Recent Examples of pestilence
Famines, pestilence, crusades, and war.
—
Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Judith is the recipient of the pestilence, Agnes stays by her side, Dad is M.I.A.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
In recent years, the censorship and false narratives of woke cancel culture have transformed our great universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent pestilence.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Being omnivorous, with a very long and efficient gut, humans coped better than other mammals in the face of pestilence and drought, the better to ensure our survival.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pestilence
Greg Grandin
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Judith is the recipient of the pestilence, Agnes stays by her side, Dad is M.I.A.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
In recent years, the censorship and false narratives of woke cancel culture have transformed our great universities into greenhouses for this deadly and virulent pestilence.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Being omnivorous, with a very long and efficient gut, humans coped better than other mammals in the face of pestilence and drought, the better to ensure our survival.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pestilence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestilence
plague
Noun
-
Another kind of typhus, carried by lice and caused by the bacteria Rickettsia prowazekii, produced historic plagues that devastated populations during times of war, famine and poverty, the National Institutes for Health said.—
Don Sweeney
April 8,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
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His church becomes a vital part of Homelander’s plan, just as Homelander’s delusions of divinity soon become everyone’s plague.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestilence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilence. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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