pestilent

 
Pronunciation: /ˈpɛstɪl(ə)nt/

adjective

  • destructive to life; deadly: pestilent diseases
  • informal, dated causing annoyance; troublesome: he regarded journalists as a whole as a pestilent race
  • archaic harmful or dangerous to morals or public order; pernicious: the pestilent sect of Luther

Derivatives

pestilently

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin pestilens, pestilent- 'unhealthy, destructive', from pestis 'plague'