venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈve-nə-məs How to pronounce venomous (audio)
1
: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death
venomous snakes
2
: full of venom: such as
b
: noxious, pernicious
expose a venomous dope ringDon Porter
c
: spiteful, malevolent
venomous criticism
venomously adverb
venomousness noun

Examples of venomous in a Sentence

The cobra is a venomous snake. a venomous attack on his character
Recent Examples on the Web Their findings, published last week in Science Translational Medicine, offer hope for an eventual universal antivenom, one capable of neutralizing the toxins of hundreds of venomous snakes worldwide. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 Editor’s picks The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time But a series of increasingly concerning brushes with perils as varied as the IRS, venomous snakes, and even death brought the Saints to what could have — and possibly should have — been the end of the road. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 While many species of arachnids are venomous, scorpions boast an especially potent venom cocktail. Scott Travers, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Famous fossil is really just paint, rocks and a couple of bones, researchers say The spider is venomous, but its fangs are incapable of breaking human skin. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 But ball pythons are not venomous, and were named for their tendency to curl up when threatened. Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Usually found in dark, sheltered areas, the females are venomous and their bite can be dangerous and potentially lethal. The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024 The new species is venomous, but only one snake bite has been attributed to it, researchers said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024 The lack of antivenom for Gila monster bites does not imply that venomous lizards are more dangerous than venomous snakes, for which antivenoms for many species exist. Scott Travers, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venimous, borrowed from Anglo-French venimus, venimous, from venim venom entry 1 + -us, -ous -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of venomous was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near venomous

Cite this Entry

“Venomous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/venomous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

venomous

adjective
ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs How to pronounce venomous (audio)
: having or producing venom
venomous snakes
venomously adverb

Medical Definition

venomous

adjective
ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs How to pronounce venomous (audio)
1
2
: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death
the vipers, pit vipers, and coral snakes are venomous

More from Merriam-Webster on venomous

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