Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of plague

24 similar words

Another word for plague is pestilence. Other synonyms of plague are pest, murrain, badger, harry and hound.

Synonyms and similar words for plague

nounAn epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but especially that caused by the above disease.

  • pestA pestilence, i.e. a deadly epidemic, a deadly plague.
  • pestilenceAny epidemic disease that is highly contagious, infectious, virulent and devastating.

nounA widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine...

  • murrainInfectious disease; pestilence, plague; (countable) sometimes used in curses such as a murrain on someone: an outbreak...

verbTo harass, pester or annoy someone persistently or incessantly.

  • badgerTo pester; to annoy persistently; to press.
  • harryTo harass, bother or distress with demands, threats, or criticism.
  • houndTo persistently harass doggedly.
  • baitTo intentionally annoy, torment, or threaten by constant rebukes or threats; to harass.
  • bedevilTo harass or cause trouble for; to plague.
  • beleaguerTo vex, harass, or beset.
  • persecute
  • dog
  • bullyragTo harass, badger, taunt, or abuse verbally.
  • besiege
  • bug
  • devil informal
  • beset figurativelyTo assail or attack (someone) from all sides; to set about.
  • chevy figurativelyTo vex or harass with petty attacks.
  • give someone griefTo hassle or abuse someone.
  • harassTo annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
  • pesterTo bother, harass, or annoy persistently.
  • pick atTo pick on or repeatedly criticize (someone).
  • vex archaicTo trouble aggressively, to harass.

verbTo afflict with a disease or other calamity.

  • scourge
  • tormentTo cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.).

Meaning of plague

  1. noun The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis.
  2. noun An epidemic or pandemic caused by any pestilence, but especially that caused by the above disease.
  3. noun A widespread affliction, calamity, or destructive influx, especially when seen as divine retribution.

Full definition of plague

plague in other languages

Questions about synonyms of plague

What is another word for plague?
Plague has 24 synonyms on Word.ws, such as pestilence, pest, murrain, badger, harry, hound, bait and bedevil.
What does plague mean?
Plague means the bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: plague (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of plague.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/plague. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.