diff --git a/src/python/pants/backend/python/dependency_inference/parse_python_dependencies_test.py b/src/python/pants/backend/python/dependency_inference/parse_python_dependencies_test.py
index 1a70536885d..9a4ab527883 100644
--- a/src/python/pants/backend/python/dependency_inference/parse_python_dependencies_test.py
+++ b/src/python/pants/backend/python/dependency_inference/parse_python_dependencies_test.py
@@ -329,6 +329,14 @@ def test_imports_from_strings(rule_runner: RuleRunner, min_dots: int) -> None:
             'a.b.c.d.2Bar',
             'a.2b.c.D',
 
+            # Explicitly ignored strings
+            'w.x',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+            'w.x.Foo',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+            'w.x.y.z',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+            'w.x.y.z.Foo',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+            'w.x.y.z.FooBar',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+            'u.v.w.x.y.z.Baz',  # pants: no-infer-dep
+
             # Definitely invalid strings
             'I/have/a/slash',
             'I\\\\have\\\\backslashes',
diff --git a/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/mod.rs b/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/mod.rs
index 64045004aaf..8c82d2ca234 100644
--- a/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/mod.rs
+++ b/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/mod.rs
@@ -107,18 +107,47 @@ impl ImportCollector<'_> {
             .trim_matches(|c| "'\"".contains(c))
     }
 
+    fn is_pragma_ignored_at_row(&self, node: tree_sitter::Node, end_row: usize) -> bool {
+        let node_range = node.range();
+        if node.kind_id() == KindID::COMMENT
+            && end_row == node_range.start_point.row
+            && self.code_at(node_range).contains("# pants: no-infer-dep")
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
     fn is_pragma_ignored(&self, node: tree_sitter::Node) -> bool {
         if let Some(sibling) = node.next_named_sibling() {
-            let next_node_range = sibling.range();
-            if sibling.kind_id() == KindID::COMMENT
-                && node.range().end_point.row == next_node_range.start_point.row
-                && self
-                    .code_at(next_node_range)
-                    .contains("# pants: no-infer-dep")
-            {
+            return self.is_pragma_ignored_at_row(sibling, node.range().end_point.row);
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
+    fn is_pragma_ignored_recursive(&self, node: tree_sitter::Node) -> bool {
+        let node_end_point = node.range().end_point;
+        if let Some(sibling) = node.next_named_sibling() {
+            if self.is_pragma_ignored_at_row(sibling, node_end_point.row) {
                 return true;
             }
         }
+
+        let mut current = node;
+        loop {
+            if let Some(parent) = current.parent() {
+                if let Some(sibling) = parent.next_named_sibling() {
+                    if self.is_pragma_ignored_at_row(sibling, node_end_point.row) {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                }
+                current = parent;
+                continue;
+            }
+            // At the root / no more parents.
+            break;
+        }
+
         false
     }
 
@@ -322,7 +351,9 @@ impl Visitor for ImportCollector<'_> {
     fn visit_string(&mut self, node: tree_sitter::Node) -> ChildBehavior {
         let range = node.range();
         let text: &str = self.string_at(range);
-        if !text.contains(|c: char| c.is_ascii_whitespace() || c == '\\') {
+        if !text.contains(|c: char| c.is_ascii_whitespace() || c == '\\')
+            && !self.is_pragma_ignored_recursive(node)
+        {
             self.string_candidates
                 .insert(text.to_string(), (range.start_point.row + 1) as u64);
         }
diff --git a/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/tests.rs b/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/tests.rs
index 3036bdc0bd7..e550a2253fe 100644
--- a/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/tests.rs
+++ b/src/rust/engine/dep_inference/src/python/tests.rs
@@ -685,6 +685,32 @@ fn string_candidates() {
     // Technically the value of the string doesn't contain whitespace, but the parser isn't that
     // sophisticated yet.
     assert_strings("'''\\\na'''", &[]);
+
+    // pragma ignored strings
+    assert_strings("'a' # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("'''a''' # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("'a.b' # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("'a.b.c_狗' # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("'..a.b.c.d' # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("['a.b'] # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("[{'a.b': 1}] # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("[{('a.b',): 1}] # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("[{2: 'a.b'}] # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("[{2: ('a.b',)}] # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("print('a.b') # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("print('a.b' if x else 3) # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings("print(3 if x else 'a.b') # pants: no-infer-dep", &[]);
+    assert_strings(
+        "print([a for a in b if a not in ['a.b', 'c.d']]) # pants: no-infer-dep",
+        &[],
+    );
+    assert_strings(
+        r"
+    for a, b in foo['a.b'].items(): # pants: no-infer-dep
+        pass
+    ",
+        &[],
+    );
 }
 
 #[test]