pestilent

American  

[pes-tl-uhnt] / ˈpɛs tl ənt /

adjective

1. producing or tending to produce infectious or contagious, often epidemic, disease; pestilential.

2. destructive to life; deadly; poisonous.

3. injurious to peace, morals, etc.; pernicious.

4. troublesome, annoying, or mischievous.

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pestilent British  

/ ˈpɛstɪlənt /

adjective

1. annoying; irritating

2. highly destructive morally or physically; pernicious

3. infected with or likely to cause epidemic or infectious disease

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Other Word Forms

• antipestilent adjective
• antipestilently adverb
• nonpestilent adjective
• nonpestilently adverb
• pestilently adverb
• unpestilent adjective
• unpestilently adverb

Etymology

Origin of pestilent

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pestilent- (stem of pestilēns ) unhealthy, noxious, alteration of pestilentus, equivalent to pesti- (stem of pestis ) pest + -lentus -lent

Explanation

When something is pestilent, it's contagious and often deadly. At one time, polio was considered to be a pestilent disease in North America. Something harmful that spreads — whether it's an illness or violence or a really bad idea — can be described with the adjective pestilent. The rise of poverty in some places, or the spread of chicken pox among preschoolers, are both pestilent. The Latin origin is pestilentem, which comes from pestilis, "of the nature of a plague," with its root of pestis, "deadly contagious disease."

Example Sentences

A swath of the Santa Clarita Valley is under a first-of-its-kind quarantine after the invasive and pestilent tau fruit fly was found in the area, officials announced this week.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 28, 2023

I can’t pretend that moviegoing was in great shape before theaters became a pestilent vector.

From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022

Still, “The Good Mothers” is casting a wider net, indicting an entire pestilent culture.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2018

When faced with concerns about productivity, any possible pestilent threat to the harvest needs to be eradicated, which often means pesticides.

From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2013

“Now be gone with you, pestilent little beggars! Go find pockets to pick somewhere else!”

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs