as in annoying
causing annoyance
these pestilential little mosquitoes!
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Recent Examples of pestilential
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestilential
Adjective
-
Noise limits In the 2010s, a common concern about wind turbines was that the swishing noise was annoying or even dangerous to residents’ health.—
Elizabeth Weise,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Adhesive Residue No one likes to battle the annoying sticky residue left behind from price tags or brand labels, but those are no match for your steam cleaner.—
Rae Ford,
Martha Stewart,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Ignoring Temperature and Environment Every oven behaves differently, which can make baking frustrating at first.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
22 Feb. 2026
-
More and more hard-to-trace checks are laundered among political committees, with their murky-sounding names and Tallahassee addresses, frustrating attempts by voters or the media to figure out exactly who’s giving to whom.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Rubbing alcohol isn’t corrosive to metals, doesn’t stain clothes, and doesn’t cause the same irritating fumes as working with bleach does.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The hypoallergenic face serum is free from potentially irritating ingredients, such as parabens and synthetic fragrances, too.—
Lauren Taylor,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Nell Tiger Free stars as a young novice who works at a Catholic orphanage plagued by mysterious, disturbing circumstances.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In an initial statement Wednesday, Blalock said the video is disturbing and the parents and families of these students should be embarrassed.—
Allie Hennard,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestilential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilential. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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