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
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
Her closest brush with tragedy occurred in season one when she was poisoned, but Oliver’s veterinarian son was able to bring her back to perfect health.
—Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 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
Some believe that’s by design, that the show has been poisoned on purpose.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
In the end, he was poisoned by his right-hand man, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who did so because Frank was planning to kill Claire.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Verb
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
Her closest brush with tragedy occurred in season one when she was poisoned, but Oliver’s veterinarian son was able to bring her back to perfect health.
—Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 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
Some believe that’s by design, that the show has been poisoned on purpose.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
In the end, he was poisoned by his right-hand man, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who did so because Frank was planning to kill Claire.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoned
Adjective
-
Not only are the leaves poisonous to humans and pets, but the vine itself is invasive and can spread disease to trees.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
-
The consequences ranged from hobbling Reconstruction to hastening the end of the Ottoman Empire to poisonous deflation, and the blundering response by governments helped shape the modern world.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Some members of her party have pushed Sheinbaum to sever ties with Rocha Moya and other leaders suspected of links to organized crime, lest Morena be tainted by the allegations.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
His association with the Nazi regime, which some believe occurred only because he was pressured to play to secure the release of his mother from Auschwitz, forever tainted Wilimowski.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
At the latter, four local farmers show The Athletic water courses polluted with crude oil.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
However, the oceans are in trouble and are constantly polluted with plastic, particularly single-use plastic bags, which is a huge problem.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The norms, international reputational concerns, and fear of sanctions which encourage compliance with international law are likely to be degraded when the world’s superpower behaves lawlessly.—
BRIAN FINUCANE,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Nov. 2025
-
If your sensing is degraded, your ability to make out information about your environment is degraded.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The lawsuit, filed on Saturday in the Central District of California, claims that the supermodel turned media personality participated in a 3½-hour interview, of which about 16 minutes was used.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Salah turned 34 today, with several fans bringing signs to the stadium in his honor.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ever since Covid-19 drove many people out of office buildings five years ago, commercial real estate has been poison.—
John Dorfman,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Market impact Of course, the dollar’s slide hasn’t exactly been poison for stocks.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
7 July 2025
Verb
-
In Capri, meanwhile, you’re spoiled for choice.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
-
Australia spoiled Turkey’s 24-year wait to return to the World Cup with a 2-0 victory.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, typically contracted by inhaling spores found in soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Dec. 2025
-
But the signals varied significantly from transit to transit, hinting that the measurements were being contaminated by the star itself.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoned. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
