Definition of poisonousnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of poisonous With this potential even more poisonous investments in the bloated and indebted Paramount behemoth, there’s even more reason to reject it. — Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 This can come with high levels of metals such as nickel and vanadium, which can damage engines, and sulfur, which can be poisonous to people. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2026 The fourth, the Indian rhinoceros, is vulnerable, its habitat shrinking rapidly as fragmented and isolated population groups spread across a shattered landscape littered with invasive plant species poisonous to the animals. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 All parts of poison hemlock are poisonous if ingested, and exposure can be fatal. — Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
  • Power to the people is poison to the powerful.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Dropped in recent years because carbs are poison.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Gill and Krukoff separately pushed their way into Indigenous communities, bribing or cajoling elders to forage vines and process toxic plant compounds known as curare.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Concern over plastic in the kitchen and its affects on the endocrine system has been growing for the past few years, Nathan said, referencing a viral article that linked black plastics in the kitchen to alarming levels of toxic flame retardants.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Louella played the role of moral mother, her column written in the soothing cadences of propriety—rarely venomous on the surface, yet devastating in its implications.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Geoff Cole—the British scientist who originally pitched the evolutionary fear of venomous animals theory in 2013—recently looked back at the evidence and made a new conclusion.
    — Gabriela Galvin, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster