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

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

He gets as far as lamenting that the Earth itself “appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors” before being blown up by a rocket.

From The Verge

Island living looks like a privilege when the world is pestilent.

From New York Times

And while White House numbers aren’t counted in the city’s official tally of cases, the Rose Garden stunt has created a pestilent hot spot.

From Washington Post

On the plus side, they are one of the world’s most proficient exterminators, yearly consuming millions of pestilent insects, grubs and worms.

From New York Times