adj
Meaning 1
containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
pestiferous
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
Canada: /ˌpɛsˈtɪfəɹəs/
-
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -ɪfəɹəs
adj
Meaning 2
annoying, vexatious
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
causing irritation or annoyance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- tapping an annoying rhythm on his glass with his fork
- aircraft noise is particularly bothersome near the airport
- found it galling to have to ask permission
- an irritating delay
- nettlesome paperwork
- a pesky mosquito
- swarms of pestering gnats
- a plaguey newfangled safety catch
- a teasing and persistent thought annoyed him
- a vexatious child
- it is vexing to have to admit you are wrong
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: annoying, bothersome, galling, irritating, nettlesome, pesky, pestering, plaguy, plaguey, teasing, vexatious, vexing
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
tending to corrupt or pervert
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: corruptive, perversive
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease- Jonathan Swift
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a pestilential malignancy in the air
- plaguey fevers
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pestilent, pestilential, plaguey
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
contaminated with infecting organisms- Jane Austen
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- dirty wounds
- obliged to go into infected rooms
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: dirty
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Mid 15th century, in sense “mischievous, pernicious”, from Latin pestiferus (“bearing plague”), from pestifer, from pestis (“plague”) + ferre (“carry”) (see infer). By surface analysis, pest + -i- (“bearing, carrying”) + -ferous.
Across languages
Translations
21 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: заразен (zarazen) — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- French: pestilentiel — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Icelandic: óheilnæmur — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Icelandic: sóttnæmur — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Irish: aicídeach — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Latin: pestiferus — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Romanian: pestifer — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Romanian: pestilențial — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Russian: заразный (zaraznyj) — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Spanish: pestífero — containing organisms that cause contagious diseases
- Bulgarian: досаден (dosaden) — annoying, vexatious
- Bulgarian: тормозещ (tormozešt) — annoying, vexatious
- Italian: pestilenziale — annoying, vexatious
- Italian: pestifero — annoying, vexatious
- Romanian: plictisitor — annoying, vexatious
- Romanian: sâcâitor — annoying, vexatious
- Romanian: pisălog — annoying, vexatious
- Russian: надое́дливый (nadojédlivyj) — annoying, vexatious
- Spanish: pestífero — annoying, vexatious
- Spanish: pernicioso — annoying, vexatious
- Spanish: pesado — annoying, vexatious