pestilential

adjective

pes·​ti·​len·​tial ˌpe-stə-ˈlen(t)-shəl How to pronounce pestilential (audio)
1
a
: causing or tending to cause pestilence : deadly
b
: of or relating to pestilence
2
: morally harmful : pernicious
3
: giving rise to vexation or annoyance : irritating
pestilentially adverb

Examples of pestilential in a Sentence

these pestilential little mosquitoes!
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
And to make matters worse, crime rates have risen, demonstrations by taxi drivers have turned violent, and a bungled garbage collection policy has blanketed Luanda with waste and a pestilential stench. Ricardo Soares De Oliveira, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2015 But life back then was pretty sketchy and precarious even without pestilential rats running around, unbound. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 July 2023 He is reported to have participated in a pestilential online gun culture, replete with tasteless japing about mass shootings. wsj.com, 12 May 2023 This includes whenever there the existence of any malignant, contagious, or pestilential disease in the County, to investigate such report and ascertain, as correctly as possible, the causes which produced such disease, to adopt measures to arrest its progress. Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2022 Pigeons are viewed as grimy, poopy, pestilential. Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2013 The Spanish flu washed over the world in three pestilential waves during 1918 and 1919. Damon Linker, The Week, 23 June 2021 Our national experience with the role of state and local governments in casino gambling should have taught us that there is a world of difference between sensible reform and making government a revenue-seeking partner in a pestilential business. The Editors, National Review, 7 Dec. 2020 Adding to these burdens were the poor soil and periodic ravages of the pestilential boll weevil. Trevor Paulhus, Smithsonian, 19 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pestilential was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pestilential

Cite this Entry

“Pestilential.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pestilential. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

pestilential

adjective
pes·​ti·​len·​tial ˌpes-tə-ˈlen-chəl How to pronounce pestilential (audio)
: causing or likely to cause pestilence

Medical Definition

pestilential

adjective
pes·​ti·​len·​tial ˌpes-tə-ˈlen-chəl How to pronounce pestilential (audio)
1
: causing or tending to cause pestilence
2
: of or relating to pestilence
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