infested
Crawling with vermin
Infested describes a place or thing overrun by pests, vermin, or other unwanted creatures in large numbers.
A house might be infested with termites, a dog with fleas, or a warehouse with rats.
The word carries strong connotations of disgust and contamination.
Figuratively, infested can describe any overwhelming presence of undesirable elements: The comment section was infested with trolls.
The verb infest means to overrun in this harmful way.
Harmful small animals
- insectsSix-legged arthropods
- rodentsGnawing mammal order
- parasitesOrganisms feeding off hosts
- cockroachesHardy household insect pests
rats · mice · termites · bedbugs · fleas · lice · ticks · mites
Abundantly full of
- swarmingGathering in large numbers
- crawlingMoving on hands, knees
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- plaguedPersistently afflicted
riddled · rife · lousy · alive with · covered · invaded · brimming · saturated
Made impure by contact
- unsanitaryLacking proper cleanliness
- disease-riddenInfested with illness
- unhygienicNot clean or sanitary
- filthyThoroughly unclean
squalid · blighted · infected · pestilent · foul · septic · putrid · decaying
vermin
Harmful small animals
cockroaches · rats · mice · termites · bedbugs · fleas · lice · ticks · mites · ants
teeming
Abundantly full of
- swarmingGathering in large numbers
- crawlingMoving on hands, knees
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
plagued · riddled · rife · lousy · alive with · covered · invaded · brimming · saturated · choked
contaminated
Made impure by contact
- unsanitaryLacking proper cleanliness
- disease-riddenInfested with illness
- unhygienicNot clean or sanitary
filthy · squalid · blighted · infected · pestilent · foul · septic · putrid · decaying · rotting
- plant conditionshealthy, diseased, wilted, dormant, flowering
- Insect Traitssix-legged, winged, antennae, exoskeleton, segmented
- damageddamaged, broken, wrecked, ruined, destroyed
- pest controlinsecticide, rat trap, pesticide, mousetrap, exterminator
- problem adjectivesserious, severe, major, minor, critical
infesteduninfested
Lacking parasites or pests
clear · exterminated · noninfested · treated · fumigated
- pest infestationHarmful organisms colonizing space
- flea infestationParasitic insect outbreak
- insect infestationHarmful bug population explosion
- lice infestationParasitic scalp colonization
- tick infestationExcessive parasitic arachnid presence
infest, infestation, infests, infesting, infestations, uninfested