pestiferous

[ pe-stif-er-uhs ]

/ pɛˈstɪf ər əs /

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See synonyms for pestiferous on Thesaurus.com

adjective

spreading or bearing disease, especially deadly epidemic disease; pestilential: pestiferous rats.

pernicious; evil: The wicked duke's pestiferous rule blighted the countryside.

Informal. mischievous; troublesome or annoying: Those pestiferous boys won't leave my apple tree alone.

QUIZ

CUDDLE UP! A COZY QUIZ ON FALL WORDS HAS ARRIVED

If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

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Origin of pestiferous

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin pestiferus “pestilential,” equivalent to pesti- (stem of pestis ) + -ferus; see origin at pest, -ferous

OTHER WORDS FROM pestiferous

pes·tif·er·ous·ly, adverbpes·tif·er·ous·ness, noun

Words nearby pestiferous

pester, pester power, pesthole, pesthouse, pesticide, pestiferous, pestilence, pestilent, pestilential, pestle, pesto

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use pestiferous in a sentence

I shall again breathe the pestiferous air of St. Stephen's Chappel.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
No vegetables except moss and toadstool-like productions could exist in that airless and pestiferous region.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston
The air, too, was close and pestiferous, as if all the foul vapours had been forced up from the inward recesses of the hold.
Hurricane Hurry|W.H.G. Kingston
The carpet bagger when not fighting the pestiferous vermin in the Chickahominy swamps was pilfering.
The Broken Sword|Dennison Worthington

It is a region of stagnant waters, pestiferous exhalations, decrepit men, famished animals.
The Desert World|Arthur Mangin

British Dictionary definitions for pestiferous

pestiferous

/ (pɛˈstɪfərəs) /

adjective

informal troublesome; irritating

breeding, carrying, or spreading infectious disease

corrupting; pernicious

Derived forms of pestiferous

pestiferously, adverbpestiferousness, noun

Word Origin for pestiferous

C16: from Latin pestifer, from pestis contagious disease, pest + ferre to bring

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for pestiferous

pestiferous

[ pĕ-stĭf′ər-əs ]

adj.

Producing or breeding infectious disease.

Infected with or contaminated by an epidemic disease.

pestiferous

Origin of pestiferous

OTHER WORDS FROM pestiferous

Words nearby pestiferous

Words related to pestiferous

How to use pestiferous in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pestiferous

Derived forms of pestiferous

Word Origin for pestiferous

Medical definitions for pestiferous