poison-pen
adjective
poi·son-pen
ˈpȯi-zᵊn-ˈpen 
: written with malice and spite and usually anonymously
a poison-pen letter
Examples of poison-pen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sharrock sees parallels in the film’s theme with today’s social media trolling replacing poison-pen letters.
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
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
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 25 Sep. 2023.
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