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
Rather than allowing herself to be captured by the Romans, legend has it that Cleopatra let a poisonous asp bite her in Alexandria, according to the documentary.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Leninism, with its Bolshevik contempt for religion and family; Frantz Fanon's poisonous doctrine that violence is not only justified but the very path to human dignity; and Islamism's contempt for the West.
—Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The same is true at mining sites that supply the minerals essential for AI hardware, where the extraction and refining are poisonous for the local environment, writes environmental studies and public policy scholar Sophia Kalantzakos.
—Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
This stuff has to be poisonous.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
Leninism, with its Bolshevik contempt for religion and family; Frantz Fanon's poisonous doctrine that violence is not only justified but the very path to human dignity; and Islamism's contempt for the West.
—Ayaan Hirsi Ali, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The same is true at mining sites that supply the minerals essential for AI hardware, where the extraction and refining are poisonous for the local environment, writes environmental studies and public policy scholar Sophia Kalantzakos.
—Michaela Rychetska, JSTOR Daily, 18 Sep. 2025
This stuff has to be poisonous.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
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Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
28 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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Their uses include promising methods for cleaning up toxic pollution.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
15 Oct. 2025
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These are people who, for whatever reason, aren’t bothered by this behavior and can act as a buffer or intermediary between the toxic person and the rest of the workforce.—
Susan Caminiti,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Specifically, a 1940s B-picture conjuring up some heavy Maria Montez mojo, known as Kiss of the Spider Woman — a typically hyperventilating melodrama that featured a vamping diva playing several parts, including the venomous title character.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
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One contestant was voted off, and the other's life was put at risk by a bite from a highly venomous snake.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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