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 In the Caribbean, venomous lionfish are driving down the numbers of native fish. Dino Grandoni, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Sep. 2023 This concept is especially true for North America’s most venomous offering—the black widow. Cole Sikes Communications and Marketing Specialist Alabama Cooperative Extension System, al, 8 Aug. 2023 These bold predators are skilled enough to hunt venomous snakes, alongside easier prey like rodents, lizards and insects. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 7 Aug. 2023 Larry Wallach, the owner of Long Island’s premier semi-legal sloth petting zoo, Sloth Encounters, is in trouble again — this time for venomous lizards! Curbed, 27 July 2023 VanDyke has carved out a national reputation for his venomous writings on the Ninth Circuit. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 18 July 2023 But this was a notoriously dangerous stretch, infested with jaguars and venomous snakes. Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 17 June 2023 Known for its bill, webbed feet, and venomous spurs, the platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals globally and spends most of its time in the water at night. Reuters, NBC News, 15 May 2023 Some species of venomous sea snakes lost their ability to see in color when the moved from the land to the ocean about 110 million years ago. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 July 2023 See More

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 21 Sep. 2023.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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