pestilent
1
8.8
- adjective
- /ˈpɛstɪlənt/
- Formal
:
pestilente
- Independent journalists of deep Cuba, after spending several hours in a pestilent cell, are released in the night, far from home, on a hidden roadway surrounded by sugar cane plantations.
- foul and pestilent
Examples
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Farmers are concerned about the pestilent weeds that ruin their crops and yield.
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Why, it appeareth nothing to me... but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors.
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In summing up, and in sentencing these police officers, the Lord Chief Justice went so far as to claim, and I quote, that the were trying to rid the land of pestilent.
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And last, and more dangerous than all of these, her brother is in secret come from France and wants not buzzers to infect his ear with pestilent speeches of his father's death, and he, himself, not hesitates to threaten our own person.
-
The pestilent bacteria spread quickly, infecting many members of the community.
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After the storm, the pestilent conditions in the flooded areas led to a public health crisis.
Synonyms
543
2.8
Able to cause death or serious harm
23
8.2
Harmful in a slow and hidden way
9
8.5
Harmful to people, animals, or plants
1
9.9
Causing or spreading a serious disease among many people
1
9.1
Causing great harm or serious damage
Antonyms
How Harmful
Surface Forms
Morphology
pestilent = pestilence (semi-transparent) = pestil + ent
Standard adjective formation from the noun 'pestilence' using the productive suffix '-ent'.
Etymology
Pestilent comes from the old Latin word pestis, which means 'plague' or 'pest'. So calling something pestilent compares it to a plague — very harmful or destructive to people, plans, or reputation.