What does pustulous mean?
Pustulous is a chiefly medical adjective meaning containing pus or resembling a pustule, a small pus-filled swelling on or beneath the skin. In clinical writing, it is used especially of lesions or areas of skin: a "pustulous eruption" is an eruption composed of pus-filled spots, whereas a "pustular rash" is a related phrase emphasizing the characteristic form of the eruption. The word is precise where "bad" or "infected" would be vague, because it identifies the presence of pus rather than merely suggesting infection. It occurs in British and American medical usage, though it is far less common outside specialist descriptions of skin disease. Pustulous should not be confused with purulent, which more often describes secretion or material containing pus, or with pustular, which can refer to pustules or to a pattern of pustule formation. Knowing pustulous therefore adds both diagnostic precision and etymological clarity: the word traces back through Latin to a family of terms associated with pus and pustules.
adjectiveContaining pus; full of pustules. In medical usage, it describes skin or lesions bearing pus-filled swellings.
- Containing pus; full of pustules, especially pustules on the skin.
"The patient presented with a pustulous rash across the lower back."
"The clinician observed several pustulous lesions around the patient's mouth."
"Antibacterial treatment was started because the pustulous skin showed no signs of improving."
Pustulous means pus-filled, and its name ultimately comes from the Latin pus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pustulous
Pustulous entered English from New Latin pustulosus, an adjective derived from Latin pustula, meaning "pustule" or "small swelling." Its wider family includes pustule, pustular, and pustulation, while forms such as suppuration ultimately relate to the same ancient association with pus.
How pustulous is actually used
Chiefly formal medical usage, especially in dermatology. It is more precise than "infected" because it identifies the presence of pus-filled swellings rather than infection in general.
Easily confused with pustulous
Pustulous means containing pus or full of pustules, whereas pustular more commonly means relating to or characterized by pustules.
Pustulous describes something containing pus-filled swellings, while purulent often describes pus or another material containing pus.