Synonyms of pestilence

pestilence

noun

ˈpe-stə-lən(t)s 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plague
• pest
• epidemic
• infection
• illness
• pandemic
• malady
• sickness
• contagion
• murrain
• blight
• ailment
• infirmity
• scourge
• curse
• affliction
• affection

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pestilence

Some of those tombstones explicitly referred to a pestilence as the cause of death. — Marc Zimmer, The Conversation, 12 May 2026

Parks turned into deserts, great skyscrapers leveled by blows from the tails of the monsters, and the entire population threatened in the panic and pestilence that followed the invasion. — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026

Horses, donkeys, camels, and herds and flocks of other livestock die from the pestilence. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2026

As an example, the celestial dog was thought to aid the sun in causing the intense heat, drought and pestilence of summer. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2026