Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PESTILENTIAL

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connect today's word to others: Ooh, I don't know about you, but the delightfully icky word pestilential makes me want to cozy up and read Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death." See if you can recall these Poe-approved synonyms of pestilential: 1. Something b___ful is destructive, like a poison.  2. Something m____tic is disgusting in a way that reminds you of poisonous gas. 3. Something v_____nt is so mean or so bitter that it reminds you of a poisonous wound or disease. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PESTILENTIAL" (Yes, it's related to the word "pest.") A pestilence is a spreading disease or an unhealthy atmosphere. And something pestilent, or pestilentious, or pestilential, is so harmful or so annoying that it's like a spreading disease. Pronunciation: PESS tuh LEN chull Part of speech: Adjective.  (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a pestilential thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was pestilential.") Other forms: Pestilence(s), pestilently, pestilentially. For the adjective, I suggest sticking with the common "pestilential;" the other options are "pestilent" and "pestilentious." How to use it: "Pestilential" is harsh, negative, bitter, gross, and off-putting, perfect for spitting out in judgmental anger, and perfect for exaggeration and humor. If you're calling something pestilential, you're suggesting that it's so disgusting that it's likely to infect everyone around with a disease, maybe a figurative disease that weakens or rots their minds or their morals. Actually, let's back up. You might talk literally about pestilential diseases, maladies, and fevers. Or about places and atmospheres that are literally pestilential, like pestilential swamps, rivers, cities, prisons, and climates. More often, when we refer to pestilential places and atmospheres, we're being figurative. We might talk about a figuratively pestilential air, vapor, odor, swamp, marsh, political atmosphere, etc. Even if it's not a place or an atmosphere, you can call almost anything pestilential: insects, vices, evils, doctrines, heresy, and so on. Something can be pestilential to whoever or whatever it infects: "it's pestilential to society," "that's pestilential to our morals." Can people be pestilential? Not often, but if the ones you're describing really do remind you of a spreading disease, then go for it! Some writers have used "pestilential" to describe traitors, invaders, and fools. examples: As mold grew and fixtures rotted, the basement apartment morphed into a pestilential nightmare. "But his most visible progressive effort is attempting to convert this traffic-choked city of 12 million into a bike- and bus-friendly zone where private cars are treated as a pestilence."    — Reed Johnson and Rogerio Jelmayer, Wall Street Journal, 23 September 2015 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "pestilential" without saying "toxic" or "infectious." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The air is pestilential (in or around) (a certain literal or figurative area)." Example: "The air is pestilential around Twitter as the public rushes in to shame someone." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "A Doodad Named After a Thingamajig." If I give you two categories, X and Y, can you think of an X that was named after a Y? We'll start off easy--these first few questions will have lots of correct answers each that you might think up--and we'll work our way toward harder questions that, as far as I know, have only one correct answer each. From the previous issue: Can you think of a type of poem named after a city? The only answer I know of is the limerick. (If you know more, please share them!) Try this one today: Can you think of an article of clothing named after an island? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of PESTILENTIAL is A. ABYSMAL. B. SALUTARY. C. URBANE. 2. Even from across the street, I'm _____ by the pestilential _____. A. assaulted .. fumes B. enticed .. scents C. greeted .. host Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. A