poison-pen

adjective

poi·​son-pen ˈpȯi-zᵊn-ˈpen How to pronounce poison-pen (audio)
: written with malice and spite and usually anonymously
a poison-pen letter

Examples of poison-pen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Would anyone care enough about a poison-pen letter to perform a DNA test? Lucy Sante, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2023 Sharrock sees parallels in the film’s theme with today’s social media trolling replacing poison-pen letters. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poison-pen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of poison-pen was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near poison-pen

Cite this Entry

“Poison-pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poison-pen. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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