pestilence

[ pes-tl-uhns ]

/ ˈpɛs tl əns /

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See synonyms for pestilence on Thesaurus.com

noun

a deadly or virulent epidemic disease.

bubonic plague.

something that is considered harmful, destructive, or evil.

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Origin of pestilence

1275–1325; Middle English <Middle French <Latin pestilentia.See pestilent, -ence

OTHER WORDS FROM pestilence

an·ti·pes·ti·lence, adjective

Words nearby pestilence

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use pestilence in a sentence

We take our pets, pests and pestilence with us wherever we go, and we go everywhere.
Timeless meditations on Earth’s fragility, and the damage humans do|Balaji Ravichandran|May 14, 2021|Washington Post
This notion of pestilence as a “great equalizer” has remained in vogue ever since plague pop culture began.
Ebola Rages in West Africa, Reigniting Humanity’s Oldest Fear: The Plague|Scott Bixby|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In dramatic lore their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine.
New York City Is the Storied Football Capital of the USA|Ben Jacobs|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the meantime, I do kind of hope he wins Iowa, so that he can spread some of that pestilence around the GOP.
Ron Paul: Batty Old Reactionary for President|Michael Tomasky|December 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The coded “proofs” are everywhere: Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and pestilence.
Left Behind Author Tim LaHaye on the Rapture|Marlow Stern|May 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Cats, the Times told us, are a pestilence akin to gypsy moths and kudzu.
The War on Cats: Jonathan Franzen and Bird-Lovers Fight Back|Ben Crair|March 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I cannot reconcile the idea of a tender Heavenly Father with the known horrors of war, slavery, pestilence, and insanity.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Only in the sensational moments of famine, flood or pestilence was a general social effort called forth.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
There is still mademoiselle, with her new-formed friends in Paris—may a pestilence blight them all!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, men and beasts shall die of a great pestilence.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
But even an age of war and pestilence could be observed without torment from behind the protective shields of the Time Machine.
The Man from Time|Frank Belknap Long

British Dictionary definitions for pestilence

pestilence

/ (ˈpɛstɪləns) /

noun

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

an evil influence or idea

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 pestilence

pestilence

[ pĕs′tə-ləns ]

A usually fatal epidemic disease, especially bubonic plague.

An epidemic of such a disease.

pestilence

Origin of pestilence

OTHER WORDS FROM pestilence

Words nearby pestilence

Words related to pestilence

How to use pestilence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pestilence

Medical definitions for pestilence