pustule
noun
pus·tule ˈpəs-(ˌ)chül 
-(ˌ)tyül,
-(ˌ)tül
1
: a small circumscribed elevation of the skin containing pus and having an inflamed base
2
: a small often distinctively colored elevation or spot resembling a blister or pimple
Synonyms
- boil
- fester
- hickey
- papule
- pimple
- pock
- whelk
- zit [slang]
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
smallpox's characteristic pustules typically resulted in permanent scarring for survivors of the dreaded disease
Recent Examples on the Web Eventually the spots, which initially look like a pimple or pustule, can scab or crust over. 
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 25 July 2022 These ants deliver a painful sting that produces a red pustule that itches and burns. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 11 July 2022 A few days after the fever begins, patients develop distinctive pustule-like lesions that usually start on the face and spread across the body before scabbing over and falling away. Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2022 Each pustule contains live virus, and a ruptured blister can contaminate bed linens and other items, putting close contacts at risk. New York Times, 26 May 2022 Without further ado, here's the scoop straight from dermatologists on some of the best acne treatments for every type of zit, cyst, and pustule threatening to implode on your skin. Michelle Rostamian, Allure, 11 Mar. 2022 But something even more terrifying was revealed when Sherman removed the ribbon: a large, dangling pustule that was dancing and singing a nonsensical song. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2022 Dermatologists suggest that the patches work their best magic when the lesion is a pustule (a pimple with pus at the tip). SELF, 30 Dec. 2021 Dimsdale harvested the contents of a smallpox pustule from the young son of a sergeant-major and used it to inoculate Catherine. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Dec. 2021 See More
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek, ABC News, 25 July 2022 These ants deliver a painful sting that produces a red pustule that itches and burns. Timothy Fanning, San Antonio Express-News, 11 July 2022 A few days after the fever begins, patients develop distinctive pustule-like lesions that usually start on the face and spread across the body before scabbing over and falling away. Corinne Purtillstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2022 Each pustule contains live virus, and a ruptured blister can contaminate bed linens and other items, putting close contacts at risk. New York Times, 26 May 2022 Without further ado, here's the scoop straight from dermatologists on some of the best acne treatments for every type of zit, cyst, and pustule threatening to implode on your skin. Michelle Rostamian, Allure, 11 Mar. 2022 But something even more terrifying was revealed when Sherman removed the ribbon: a large, dangling pustule that was dancing and singing a nonsensical song. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2022 Dermatologists suggest that the patches work their best magic when the lesion is a pustule (a pimple with pus at the tip). SELF, 30 Dec. 2021 Dimsdale harvested the contents of a smallpox pustule from the young son of a sergeant-major and used it to inoculate Catherine. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin pustula; akin to Lithuanian pusti to blow, Greek physa breath
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
pustule
noun
pus·tule ˈpəs-(ˌ)chü(ə)l -(ˌ)t(y)ü(ə)l
-(ˌ)t(y)ü(ə)l 1
: a small circumscribed elevation of the skin containing pus and having an inflamed base
2
: a small often distinctively colored elevation or spot resembling a blister or pimple
pustule
noun
as in blister
a small, inflamed swelling of the skin smallpox's characteristic pustules typically resulted in permanent scarring for survivors of the dreaded disease Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- blister
- pimple
- papule
- zit
- boil
- pock
- welt
- hickey
- whitehead
- lump
- bump
- fester
- sore
- protuberance
- wart
- whelk
- blackhead
- milium
- weal
