Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pustule

American  
[puhs-chool] / ˈpʌs tʃʊl /

noun

  1. Pathology. a small elevation of the skin containing pus.

  2. any pimplelike or blisterlike swelling or elevation.

pustule British  
/ ˈpʌstjʊlə, ˈpʌstjuːl /

noun

  1. a small inflamed elevated area of skin containing pus

  2. any small distinct spot resembling a pimple or blister

"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
pustule Scientific  
/ pŭs′cho̅o̅l /

  1. A small inflamed swelling of the skin that is filled with pus.

Other Word Forms

  • pustular adjective
  • pustuled adjective

Etymology

Origin of pustule

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin pūstula, pūsula a pimple, blister; akin to Greek phȳsaléos inflated

Compare meaning

How does pustule compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Each pustule contains live virus, and a ruptured blister can contaminate bed linens and other items, putting close contacts at risk.

From Seattle Times • May 26, 2022

In 1796, Edward Jenner famously took pus from a cowpox pustule of a milkmaid and injected it into his gardener’s 8-year-old son, James Phipps.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2020

BCG often causes a pustule at the injection site that may persist for months, usually resulting in a scar.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 23, 2020

Hence he was born to perform “Haircut,” a cinder-black vignette of small-town life told by a deceptively cheerful barber who is in truth a walking pustule of malice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2018

Druzmilla added, “Yeah. That little pustule loves the taste of trash. That’s what she’s after. Snacks.”

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.