pestilence

definition: a pernicious and malign influence that is hard to get rid of
example: racism is a pestilence at the heart of the nation
speech part: noun
synonyms: canker
definition: any epidemic disease with a high death rate
example:
speech part: noun
synonyms: pest
definition: 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
example:
speech part: noun
synonyms: pest

How pestilence is being used?