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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pestilent
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
At the time, the miasmatic theory of disease—the idea that illness was caused by foul, pestilent odors—had made its way to Boston from England, and undoubtedly influenced the decision to fill in the pond.
—Betsy Mason, National Geographic, 13 June 2017
But the tropical type of milkweed survives cold winters, and so does its pestilent guest.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015
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
At the time, the miasmatic theory of disease—the idea that illness was caused by foul, pestilent odors—had made its way to Boston from England, and undoubtedly influenced the decision to fill in the pond.
—Betsy Mason, National Geographic, 13 June 2017
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
-
No one in the White House is in charge of leading the country through the potential next hit from an infectious agent, which could be more deadly than if somebody launched a physical war against us on our own shores.—
Alice Park,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Originally featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, the song brought the crowd to a fever pitch, with its high energy and infectious beat closing out her set in true Cardi style.—
Isabela Raygoza,
Billboard,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Having to spend your day punching up a crappy slide deck your colleague’s chatbot spit out is annoying, to be sure.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
His meme humor and utter dedication to that god-awful nickname should be annoying.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The man continued to move toward officers, who tried to use less-lethal devices that did not work before shooting him.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
-
An earlier model of the killer girl 'bot was turned into a lethal weapon by the military but has gone rogue, and M3GAN's inventor (Allison Williams) needs to give the original a super-duper upgrade to stop the deadly newcomer.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
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
-
The gentle cream is designed for daily use and is fragrance-free and non-irritating.—
Gabriela Izquierdo,
Southern Living,
27 Sep. 2025
-
The irritating truth is that there’s no shoe that’s absolutely perfect for every single runner.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During a three-day rampage of gang violence, some 80 people died — the deadliest days in El Salvador since its civil war.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
-
One Pasteurella-like microbe carried genetic hints of virulence and has ties to deadly outbreaks in modern African elephants.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Inflation remains stubbornly high and the economic outlook subdued, frustrating efforts to repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Bare patches dotting an otherwise green lawn can be frustrating.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Rather than allowing herself to be captured by the Romans, legend has it that Cleopatra let a poisonous asp bite her in Alexandria, according to the documentary.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Leninism, with its Bolshevik contempt for religion and family; Frantz Fanon's poisonous doctrine that violence is not only justified but the very path to human dignity; and Islamism's contempt for the West.—
Ayaan Hirsi Ali,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pestilent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilent. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share