exceedingly harmful
pestilent
How to use pestilent in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for pestilent.
Editorial note
The Catholic Church considered the Jews pestilent for fifteen hundred years, put them in ghettos, etc., because it recognized the Jews for what they were.
Quick take
exceedingly harmful
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of pestilent gathered in one view.
likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease; "a pestilential malignancy in the air"- Jonathan Swift; "plaguey fevers"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for pestilent.
adjective
exceedingly harmful
See also: baneful, deadly, pernicious
adjective
likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease; "a pestilential malignancy in the air"- Jonathan Swift; "plaguey fevers"
See also: pestilential, pestiferous, plaguey
Example sentences
The Catholic Church considered the Jews pestilent for fifteen hundred years, put them in ghettos, etc., because it recognized the Jews for what they were.
Heroism by order, senseless violence, and all the pestilent nonsense that does by the name of patriotism--how I hate them!
I realize that hearing something like that will not necessarily be well received here, but it's really a pestilent type of cultural phenomenon which is a pernicious type of cancer that is constantly eating away at any progress that can be made.
Flights were grounded en masse at the turn of millennium and the bizarre quiet of the skies over the San Francisco Peninsula gave me a sort of surreal feeling that made me think, contrary to the elegiac vision of the author of this piece, "what would it have been like to have been born, lived, and died without planes, electricity, running water, and other modern conveniences and probably fallen victim to some pestilent disease by the time I was 30, just like my great-great-great grandparents did back in the villages of Greece from which they never traveled more than 25 miles during their entire lifetimes?
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use pestilent in a sentence?
The Catholic Church considered the Jews pestilent for fifteen hundred years, put them in ghettos, etc., because it recognized the Jews for what they were.
What does pestilent mean?
exceedingly harmful
What part of speech is pestilent?
pestilent is commonly used as adjective.