1
as in tainting
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
poisoning the minds of impressionable children with ethnic hatred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluting
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 degrading
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 turning
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
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Recent Examples of poisoning
Steven White told me that Marsha Allen had killed her husband, Harold, by poisoning a root beer float.
—
Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
After Kouri Richins was charged with murder for fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, a friend of the Utah mother of three had a difficult time reconciling that.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Chronic mold poisoning our children.
—Sumathy Kumar, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Through the years, there have been more oil spills, but also toxic algae blooms poisoning sea creatures with domoic acid and disease outbreaks, unusual stranding events that would fill the center to maximum capacity.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Robert Josh Grossman read through several pages of text messages between him and Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a fatal dose of fentanyl.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Condors vanished from the state’s North Coast after the arrival of European settlers, who killed other animals with lead bullets and strychnine — poisoning the raptors that feed on carrion.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
At the time of the two incidents, Werking and Fine Moses were both representing James Craig, the Aurora dentist who was charged at the time with — and has since been convicted of — poisoning his wife to death.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
In the Middle Ages, local churchgoers whispered of clannish Jews poisoning wells to kill Christian children and steal their blood for their rituals.
—Mike Rothschild, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
After Kouri Richins was charged with murder for fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl, a friend of the Utah mother of three had a difficult time reconciling that.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
Chronic mold poisoning our children.
—Sumathy Kumar, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Through the years, there have been more oil spills, but also toxic algae blooms poisoning sea creatures with domoic acid and disease outbreaks, unusual stranding events that would fill the center to maximum capacity.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 9 Mar. 2026
Robert Josh Grossman read through several pages of text messages between him and Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a fatal dose of fentanyl.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Condors vanished from the state’s North Coast after the arrival of European settlers, who killed other animals with lead bullets and strychnine — poisoning the raptors that feed on carrion.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
At the time of the two incidents, Werking and Fine Moses were both representing James Craig, the Aurora dentist who was charged at the time with — and has since been convicted of — poisoning his wife to death.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoning
Verb
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Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from Friends, tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Infected people and dogs had to be prevented from tainting water sources.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
To some extent, nearly every gas station is polluting the ground beneath it, experts say.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Millions of gallons a day of raw, untreated sewage and industrial waste flows north through the Tijuana River, across the border, into the Tijuana River Estuary and out into the Pacific — polluting the air as well.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Israel appears to have taken the lead on assassinating even low-level figures linked to Iran’s nuclear program while systematically degrading the knowledge centers that could prove useful in the future.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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The determined plant can grow in many conditions, including sun or shade and wet or dry soil, displacing native species, disrupting local ecosystems, and even degrading riverbanks.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Royals’ offense had its early-season frustrations a year ago before turning it on after the All-Star break — albeit too late to make a playoff run.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Others were forced to choose between food, medicine and warmth, with some turning their thermostats down to 60 degrees and bundling up or coming out of retirement to take part-time jobs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After Thursday’s game, Weaver faced questions from reporters as an obvious culprit in spoiling McLean’s masterpiece.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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More specifically — and without spoiling a story that piles the twists as high as the corpses — Pine's an ex-British soldier pulled from his porter duties and recruited to surveil a ruthless arms dealer, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) staying at the hotel.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Although banned in Venezuela, mercury remains prevalent in mining areas, contaminating rivers and exposing workers and nearby communities to toxic effects.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
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These compounds do not break down in the environment and can easily migrate into the air, dust, food and soil, also contaminating nearly half the drinking water in the United States.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the Pima County Sheriff Office investigating Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is facing troubles of its own, as a former sheriff has accused current leadership of ‘corrupting’ the crime scene, and a deputy has been arrested and fired on a kidnapping charge.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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For Hildegard of Bingen, the German mystic, scientist, composer, and philosopher, women’s maternal bodies were not corrupting and degrading, but strong, nurturing, and creative.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One talent manager equated it to dishing out free samples at an ice cream store, with the hopes of convincing TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts users to try creators’ longer videos.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
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Clooney’s hair is reason enough to add it to your lineup, but Amazon shoppers are convincing me, too.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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