1
as in plagues
a widespread disease resulting in a high rate of death
one of the great pests of the 20th century was the influenza epidemic of 1918, which killed millions across the globe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in nuisances
one who is obnoxiously annoying
stop being a pest to your sister and go find something else to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in headaches
something that is a source of irritation
a never-ending construction project that continues to be a pest for motorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pests
The process of pruning involves removing dead, diseased, damaged, or crossing branches that can attract pests and be an entryway for diseases.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
Each branch employs technicians who understand the pests most common in their region, scorpions in the Southwest, ticks in the Midwest, or termites in the Southeast.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Aphids, scale, and leaf rollers are occasional pests.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
According to the university, the USDA funding supports 4-H, a social and educational youth program; training to help farmers manage pests; and research to ensure the sustainability of Maine’s lobster industry, among other programs.
—Reuters, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 7 Nov. 2025
Each branch employs technicians who understand the pests most common in their region, scorpions in the Southwest, ticks in the Midwest, or termites in the Southeast.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Aphids, scale, and leaf rollers are occasional pests.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
According to the university, the USDA funding supports 4-H, a social and educational youth program; training to help farmers manage pests; and research to ensure the sustainability of Maine’s lobster industry, among other programs.
—Reuters, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pests
Noun
-
Rubbermaid EasyFindLids Food Storage Containers Finding the right lid to fit your food storage container plagues just about all of us, but this set solves that problem.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Sure, to be entirely historically accurate, negative things like plagues, beheadings and poverty would likely factor in to the villagers’ lives.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In Milwaukee, nuisances include loud music, loitering and littering.—
Quinn Clark,
jsonline.com,
25 Dec. 2025
-
While those invaders are mainly nuisances, cockroaches are a different story.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
From plane seatback organizers to carry-on cup holders, these accessories can save you from boarding delays and other headaches—starting at $9.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The decades-old technology struggles to account for last-minute payroll changes and that can create all sorts of headaches for employees and departments alike.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Congress used to debate authorizing such things, but with the GOP House and Senate now reduced to glorified White House staff offices, Trump need not trifle with such annoyances.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Kiehl’s Hydration 2 The Max Set Winter can bring its fair share of skin annoyances and complications—namely, dry skin.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
28 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Use clean pruners to trim away shoots, thorns, or roots along the soil and to help maintain the tree’s size.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
-
Even delicate feline nostrils and curved claws that could scratch like thorns won her undying admiration.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
So mascaras with nourishing ingredients like vitamin E and hyaluronic acid, and formulated without drying alcohol or irritants like parabens, will be your new go-tos.—
Shalwah Evans,
Glamour,
31 Dec. 2025
-
This filtration system ensures that your floors are getting their most thorough clean, while also ridding your space of irritants like dust that can cause allergy flare-ups.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
There are no speakers in the songs of MJ Lenderman other than MJ Lenderman, whose diffidence and exhaustion are in all-too-perfect lockstep with the psychic frustrations of his listeners.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
After the third giveaway happened with six seconds left in the second quarter, Schaefer expressed his frustrations with his trademark jacket removal.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
These water issues suggest potentially costly problems with the foundation, mold, or drainage system.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Congress, as the legislative branch, needs to seek bipartisan solutions to some of the major problems facing the United States today.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pests. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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