1
as in infectious
capable of being passed by physical contact from one person to another proper hand washing will help prevent the spread of most pestilent diseases

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pestilent New York scored a big win in its comeback over the pestilent Houston Rockets on Monday. Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025 The high densities of brine flies — so dense shorelines can look like they are matted with tar — are an indication of a healthy lake, not a pestilent one. Daniel Rothberg, Vox, 1 Oct. 2024 But the tropical type of milkweed survives cold winters, and so does its pestilent guest. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015 The former was true in the Pelicans' Game 4 as the eagle-wingspan need small forward Jones' and pestilent 6-foot Alvarado's varied physical traits held him to a playoff career-low four points and caused three turnovers. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2022 Island living looks like a privilege when the world is pestilent. New York Times, 31 Oct. 2020 Herbicides also are available to contend with the pestilent plant. cleveland, 30 June 2020 At the time, the miasmatic theory of disease—the idea that illness was caused by foul, pestilent odors—had made its way to Boston from England, and undoubtedly influenced the decision to fill in the pond. Betsy Mason, National Geographic, 13 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestilent
Adjective
  • This high rate of vaccination is needed because measles is the most infectious virus transmitted through the respiratory route – through coughing and sneezing.
    Professor David R. Hill, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Measles is so highly infectious that 95% immunity is required to prevent epidemics, the WHO says.
    ASSOCIATED PRESS, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • But unexpected allies and converts to the team’s cause appear, too: passengers awaiting a flight to Kabul, an American technology reporter, maybe even that annoying bakery owner.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The second week My usual redness around my cheeks had started to fade, and the annoying pimple that had been brewing on my cheek seemed to back off without its usual dramatic entrance.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Glossip nearly receives lethal injection Glossip has had nine separate execution dates scheduled and has nearly been executed several times.
    Sean Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The Minderoo Foundation, founded in 2001 and co-led by Forrest and his wife from whom he is separated, has come to fund everything from efforts to address lethal humidity to climate migration.
    Justin Worland, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • His provisional cause of death was given as multi-organ failure due to infective endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining or valves of the heart.
    Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
  • On July 30, Ray updated her fans again, revealing her diagnosis of infective endocarditis, a severe heart infection.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 31 July 2024
Adjective
  • There is nothing more irritating to enthusiasts than when the mainstream tries to portray their niche world and gets it wrong.
    Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Most formulas are either too heavy, too drying, or too irritating.
    Tira Urquhart, Essence, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Related article Inside the perfect storm of the deadly measles outbreak in Texas Also Friday, the New Mexico Department of Health reported 30 measles cases in Lea County, 20 more than had previously been identified in the state.
    Neha Mukherjee, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025
  • An all-too-common dispute between roommates turned deadly when a man suspected his privacy had been violated in a Nashville home, according to police in Tennessee.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Most welcomed this move, even if the timing was frustrating.
    Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025
  • What’s especially frustrating to people involved in ferret conservation is that funding and staff resources were already limited heading into 2025.
    Benji Jones, Vox, 26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Until this cycle of indoctrination of this poisonous hatred is stopped, there’s no chance in hell for real peace for the Middle East.
    David Draiman, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Now, finally, there’s an antidote to this poisonous narrative: Apple Cider Vinegar, a new Netflix miniseries that inverts the traditional tropes with empathy and honesty.
    Alan Levinovitz, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pestilent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestilent. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!