definitions

pestilential

[ pes-tl-en-shuh l ]
/ ˌpɛs tlˈɛn ʃəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pestilential ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

producing or tending to produce pestilence.
pertaining to or of the nature of pestilence, especially bubonic plague.
pernicious; harmful.
annoyingly troublesome.

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RELATED WORDS

baneful, deadly, destructive, fatal, harmful, injurious, malign, malignant, mephitic, noxious, pernicious, pestilent, poison, toxic, toxicant, unhealthy, unwholesome, venomous, infective, septic

Nearby words

pesticide, pestiferous, pestiferously, pestilence, pestilent, pestilential, pestle, pesto, pesty, pet, pet name

Origin of pestilential

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word pestilentiālis. See pestilent, -ial
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pestilential

British Dictionary definitions for pestilential

pestilential

/ (ˌpɛstɪˈlɛnʃəl) /

adjective

dangerous or troublesome; harmful or annoying
of, causing, or resembling pestilence
Derived Formspestilentially, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for pestilential

pestilential

adj.

late 14c., from Medieval Latin pestilentialis, from Latin pestilentia "plague" (see pestilence). Related: Pestilentially.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for pestilential

pestilential

[ pĕs′tə-lĕn′shəl ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or tending to produce a pestilence.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.