as in poisoned
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
some evil person was leaving out poisonous meat for neighborhood dogs to eat
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Recent Examples of poisonous
Nothing was more freeing than finally realizing how poisonous these people are.
—
Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
The scorpion, who will sting with their poisonous venom when hurt, is extremely intuitive and highly aware of their surroundings.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 21 Oct. 2025
His career was spent helping the sheep and goat raisers with plants poisonous to their livestock.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
The common names of many of the poisonous Amanita mushrooms include foreboding monikers like death cap mushroom and destroying angel.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
The scorpion, who will sting with their poisonous venom when hurt, is extremely intuitive and highly aware of their surroundings.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 21 Oct. 2025
His career was spent helping the sheep and goat raisers with plants poisonous to their livestock.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
The common names of many of the poisonous Amanita mushrooms include foreboding monikers like death cap mushroom and destroying angel.
—Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
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Michelle spins a long and complicated tale, but insists Teddy was wrong about the Andromedans trying to infiltrate and poison humanity.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
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Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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They’re combined with a non-toxic, hypoallergenic down alternative filling, creating a plush and luxurious sleeping experience that’s designed for back, side, and stomach sleepers.—
Megan Schaltegger,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Many hominids went extinct during this period, and being able to consume alcohol without adverse and/or toxic effects would have conferred a survival advantage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Other shipments sent by Lin included alligator lizards, venomous green tree vipers and palm pit vipers, all protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
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Other aggressive species include the horsefly, a venomous sand-burrowing fish, and the cherubic-looking pine marten, a kind of cute but angry weasel.—
Anna Russell,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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