infested

American  

[in-fes-tid] / ɪnˈfɛs tɪd /

adjective

1. overrun to an unwanted degree or in a troublesome manner by predatory animals or vermin (often used in combination).

   It is so difficult to eradicate cockroaches from an infested area.

   The only unguarded way of escape was through an alligator-infested swamp.

2. filled or riddled with anything undesirable or troublesome (usually used in combination).

   The restaurant sat in an increasingly tourist-infested part of town.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of infest.

Other Word Forms

• uninfested
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of infested

First recorded in 1890–1900; infest ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; infest ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

“Our business is infested with idiots,” he famously warned, “who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

It was infested with so many scorpions that anyone entering the bathroom at night carried a flashlight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

In this method, pest control workers drill into infested wood, reach the termite "gallery" or hiding area, and inject insecticide directly inside.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

Rats "the same size as a rabbit" have infested a city street where fly-tipping is an ongoing problem, residents say.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Her caribou had been so infested with the larvae of nose flies it had not been able to eat.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• ravaged