as in poisonous
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
leaving poisoned food to try to kill the roaches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tainted
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
poisoning the minds of impressionable children with ethnic hatred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
exhaust fumes poisoning the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degraded
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
this party partisanship poisons the national debate we should be having about this urgent problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in turned
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge
malicious rumors had poisoned many church members against the new pastor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 poisoned
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
27 June 2026
Toph escapes the clutches of her mother — who poisoned and kidnapped her — by revealing her earthbending powers, breaking out of the metal cage to rejoin Team Avatar.
—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
If a pet is poisoned by a cane toad, there are some warning signs.
—
Amaia Gavica,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.
—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.
—
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The incident saw former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoned in Salisbury, England.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
The attack, which has been linked to a threat actor tracked as TeamPCP, poisoned the durabletask package after compromising Microsoft credentials for publishing the package.
—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Verb
The special bond between Supergirl and her scruffy animal sidekick becomes a key plot point in Kara’s new solo movie, where Krypto is poisoned by space outlaw Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
27 June 2026
Toph escapes the clutches of her mother — who poisoned and kidnapped her — by revealing her earthbending powers, breaking out of the metal cage to rejoin Team Avatar.
—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
26 June 2026
If a pet is poisoned by a cane toad, there are some warning signs.
—
Amaia Gavica,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.
—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.
—
ABC News,
10 June 2026
The incident saw former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoned in Salisbury, England.
—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
The attack, which has been linked to a threat actor tracked as TeamPCP, poisoned the durabletask package after compromising Microsoft credentials for publishing the package.
—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoned
Adjective
-
The cane toad, also known as the bufo toad or the marine toad, is known for the large, poisonous glands behind its eyes that secrete toxins when it’s touched.
-
Berlin — Authorities across Germany have been battling an aggressive outbreak of poisonous caterpillars, which can cause severe health issues and have led to the closure of parks and other outdoor spaces, including in Berlin.
Verb
-
Murdaugh’s attorneys appealed the convictions, saying the trial was tainted by the county clerk Becky Hill’s inappropriate comments to jurors implying his guilt.
-
So these stories are going to get adjusted and tainted, or they’ll sometimes get distilled down to something more essential.
Verb
-
As a result, many people living near Mavecure have gotten out of gold mining, which polluted the jungle rivers with mercury and sediment, to work as tour guides, operate restaurants and hostels, or sell arts and crafts.
-
At the latter, four local farmers show The Athletic water courses polluted with crude oil.
Verb
-
Its arsenal of ballistic missiles has been degraded.
-
LiDAR can be degraded by heavy precipitation.
Verb
-
Within days of the pool being refilled in early June, the water had turned green and algae-clouded amid a heat wave in Washington, DC that saw temperatures reach 100 degrees.
-
All the whistles, reviews and ejections turned the final period into an absolute marathon.
Adjective
-
Power to the people is poison to the powerful.
-
Dropped in recent years because carbs are poison.
Verb
-
And the Belmont Stakes was run at Aqueduct for five years in the 1960s, with possible Triple Crowns being spoiled in 1964 and 1966.
-
The service Maldivian service at its sunniest—upbeat, amiable and intuitive enough to know when guests want to be spoiled or left alone.
Verb
-
Perdrial said typically multi-family older homes were more likely to be contaminated than single family housing.
-
After signing a waiver acknowledging that items in their units may be contaminated and hazardous, the company allowed residents to have a moving company move their things out.
Cite this Entry
“Poisoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoned. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
