plaguy

or pla·guey

[pley-gee]Chiefly Northern U.S.

adjective

such as to plague, torment, or annoy; vexatious: a plaguy pile of debts.

adverb

vexatiously or excessively: The room is plaguy hot.

Origin of plaguy

First recorded in 1565–75; plague + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plaguey

Historical Examples of plaguey

He was only too plaguey sure of himself to feel any anxiety.
A Venetian June
Anna Fuller
It takes a plaguey lot to move it, and then it moves as slowly as a steam-roller.
The Master Mummer
E. Phillips Oppenheim
"He aer a plaguey feller, he's that short-winded," grumbled Bill.
Indian and Scout
F. S. Brereton
I don't see what you want to be a plaguey old saint for, anyway.
In Pawn
Ellis Parker Butler
The plaguey rascals said I was a night-walker, and that I behaved suspiciously.
Captain Ravenshaw
Robert Neilson Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for plaguey

plaguy

plaguey

archaic, informal

adjective

disagreeable or vexing

adverb

disagreeably or annoyingly

Derived Formsplaguily, 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 plaguey

adj.

1570s, "pertaining to a plague," from plague (n.) + -y (2). Figurative meaning "vexatious" is from 1610s. As an adverb (properly it would be plaguily) it is attested from 1580s, often with deliberate attempt at humor.