pestilent
- adjective
- /ˈpɛstɪlənt/
- Specialized
:
pestilente
- The pestilent conditions in the overcrowded shelter led to a rapid spread of disease.
Examples
-
The researcher studied the pestilent bacteria that caused the outbreak of flu in the community.
-
Your Honor, since Rockwell Corp. began construction, the surrounding residential neighborhood has been enshrouded in a cloud of foul-smelling, germ-carrying, pestilent dust.
Fiction book (1993) -
Health officials warned that the pestilent insects could carry viruses harmful to humans.
Synonyms
76
3.9
A disease that can spread from one person to another
40
5.6
A disease that spreads quickly and becomes more severe
14
9.1
Very harmful and able to cause disease that spreads quickly
5
7.0
Able to cause disease in people, animals or plants
1
9.9
Causing or spreading a serious disease among many people
1
7.4
Able to make people sick and spread disease
Likely to spread quickly and cause a disease outbreak
Likely to spread disease
Antonyms
How Contagious
Surface Forms
Morphology
pestilent = pestilence (transparent) = pestil + ent
Standard adjective formation from the noun 'pestilence' using the productive suffix '-ent'.
Etymology
Pestilent comes from the Latin pestis, meaning 'plague' or 'pest', and it is the root of the word pestilence. That's why a pestilent sickness or place is likely to cause or spread a serious disease, like a plague.