Dictionary.com

pestilence

[ pes-tl-uhns ]
/ ˈpɛs tl əns /
Save This Word!

noun
a deadly or virulent epidemic disease.
something that is considered harmful, destructive, or evil.
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

Origin of pestilence

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

OTHER WORDS FROM pestilence

an·ti·pes·ti·lence, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pestilence in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pestilence

pestilence
/ (ˈpɛstɪləns) /

noun
  1. any epidemic outbreak of a deadly and highly infectious disease, such as the plague
  2. 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
FEEDBACK