pestilent

P3E1S1T1I1L1E1N1T1
/ˈpɛstələnt//ˈpɛstɪlənt//ˈpɛstlənt/

adjective

Highly injurious or destructive to life: deadly.

Similar
pestiferousbanefuldeadlyperniciousnoxiouspestilentialplagueyepidemic
OriginLatin pestilens →
RareScrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectivepestilent (comparative more pestilent, superlative most pestilent)

comparative more pestilent · superlative most pestilent

  1. Highly injurious or destructive to life: deadly.
  2. informalAnnoying.

    Synonyms: pestiferous

  3. archaicHarmful to morals or public order.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveAnnoying.

Similar
pestiferous

More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveexceedingly harmful

Similar
banefuldeadlyperniciousnoxious

adjectivelikely to spread and cause an epidemic disease

Similar
pestilentialpestiferousplagueyepidemic
Also see
banefuldeadlyepidemicperniciouspestiferouspestilentialplaguey

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinpestis
  2. Latinpestilens
  3. Englishpestilent

Middle English, from Latin pestilens, from Latin pestis.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pestilent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pestilent

MLA

“pestilent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pestilent. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pestilent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pestilent.

Source: pestilent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.