pestilence

American  

[pes-tl-uhns] / ˈpɛs tl əns /

noun

1. a deadly or virulent epidemic disease.

2. bubonic plague.

3. something that is considered harmful, destructive, or evil.

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pestilence British  

/ ˈpɛstɪləns /

noun

1. 1. any epidemic outbreak of a deadly and highly infectious disease, such as the plague

   2. such a disease

2. an evil influence or idea

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Other Word Forms

• antipestilence adjective

Etymology

Origin of pestilence

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin pestilentia, from pestilent-, stem of pestilēns “unhealthy, noxious” ( pestilent ) + -ia -y ³ ( def. )

Example Sentences

We can expect economic upheaval, famine and pestilence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

Every time she opens her mouth I swear a swarm of horseflies and pestilence are released to consume the countryside.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2025

There’s anguish in his eyes, and when Del Toro shows us the world through his perspective, humanity itself appears anti-life, a pestilence that destroys without hesitation.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

Tuberculosis has carried off many of their neighbors, and the pestilence has provoked a range of superstitious remedies among the villagers.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2023

People of every rank and station wanted to escape the spreading pestilence and breathe the fresh, healthy air of the countryside.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy