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
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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
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Recent Examples of pestilent
Long dismissed as pestilent rodents, beavers are now coming to be understood as autonomous biosphere managers that may be indispensable in the fight against the effects of climate chaos.
—
New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
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
But the tropical type of milkweed survives cold winters, and so does its pestilent guest.
—Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015
New Atlas, 28 Dec. 2025
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
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
-
What captivated me – beyond Liu’s command of the ice – was her infectious sense of joy.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The joy of everyone on stage was infectious.—
Jake Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That annoying voice in the back of the mind or deep in your gut starts to sound more convincing.—
JD Barker,
Rolling Stone,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Of all the horror franchises out there, the Scream series is the one that feels most like being on the world’s most annoying hamster wheel.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Many diseases are more infectious and more lethal than COVID-19 was, and the next such pandemic could prove to be our species’ undoing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Nicholas and three of his playmates at the day care were poisoned by the lethal opioid, which the owners stored in a nap room, officials said.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
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
-
Rather than focusing on clarity with harsh actives, a key component to the glass skin trend is using gentle, non-irritating ingredients that take your skin to a healthier state.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Caustic soda crystals cannot be ingested; baking soda is edible and non-irritating.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Highways were jammed overnight and into Monday with people fleeing after what was Israel's deadliest barrage on Lebanon in more than a year, striking hours after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border for the first time in more than a year.—
FADI TAWIL,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The deadly attack is among 56 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Enough, at least, to be satisfied with what came of a sometimes frustrating season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The possibilities for either an overload of unearned feelings or a frustrating reversal back to darkness loom threateningly.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And in Season 11, before the game even started, castaways hiked 11 miles through the Guatemalan jungle—a 24-hour trek in 100-degree heat that resulted in one collapse, one biceps tear, one vomiting spell, and one puncture wound from a poisonous tree barb.—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
-
This was always a question of what happens to this friend group when there’s a poisonous dynamic at the center?—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestilent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilent. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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