What does "pest" mean?
A pestilence, i.e. a deadly epidemic, a deadly plague.
Pest
/pɛst/ name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A pestilence, i.e. a deadly epidemic, a deadly plague.
- Grammar: pest is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: abomination, affliction, aggravation, ambulatory plague.
- Useful contrasts: ally, beneficial organism, biocontrol agent.
- Usage evidence: He's the pest that, on last month's class-help day, escaped leaving me with all the work.
How to use "pest"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pest" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pest" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pest" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pest" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pest" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abomination" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pest", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A pestilence, i.e. a deadly epidemic, a deadly plague. archaic
"From the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, pests and famines are reflections of the current administration’s lack of moral values and deviation from divine will. The head of the administration (the emperor in the past) would then issue an edict to sincerely repent and correct his wrongdoings."
- 2 any unwanted and destructive insect or other animal that attacks food or crops or livestock etc. wordnet
- 3 Any destructive insect that attacks crops or livestock; an agricultural pest.
- 4 a persistently annoying person wordnet
- 5 An annoying person, a nuisance.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 any epidemic disease with a high death rate wordnet
- 7 An animal regarded as a nuisance, destructive, or a parasite, vermin.
- 8 a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal wordnet
- 9 An invasive weed.
Proper Noun
- 1 One of the originally three separate cities that were united in 1873 to become the Hungarian capital, Budapest. historical
- 2 The corresponding part of the current-day city of Budapest, on the eastern side of the Danube.
"On a drizzly mid-January evening, I stood at the arches of the wall of Buda Castle, overlooking the Danube and the 19th-century Chain Bridge that links Buda with Pest."
- 3 A county in central Hungary, surrounding Budapest.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"He's the pest that, on last month's class-help day, escaped leaving me with all the work."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pest"?
Common synonyms include: abomination, affliction, aggravation, ambulatory plague, annoyance, annoyer.
How do you use "pest" in a sentence?
He's the pest that, on last month's class-help day, escaped leaving me with all the work.
How do you pronounce "pest"?
Pronounced /pɛst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
In the 16th century in the sense of "pestilence" and specifically bubonic plague from Middle French peste (“pestilence”) (whence French peste). The other meanings are recorded soon after. Ultimately from Latin pestis.
Etymology 2
From Hungarian Pest, ultimately from Old Church Slavonic пещь (peštĭ, “furnace, oven”). Compare German Ofen (“Buda”, literally “oven”).