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
There are even tales of them poisoning people and holding funerals for their dead.
—
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.
—Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Jury selection is set to begin on Tuesday in the murder trial of Kouri Richins, a Utah mom accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 Feb. 2026
The bulletin highlights the case of James Craig, who was convicted in July of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes with a mix of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the medication used in eye drops.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
In one example, a Colorado dentist was convicted of first-degree murder after gradually poisoning his wife with a mix of arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a medication commonly found in eye drops.
—Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Then Lord Blackwood tries to enact a plan that involves poisoning much of Parliament, and he’s finally thwarted in a third-act fight sequence that plays out on top of London’s Tower Bridge, then in construction.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
In the novel, the story instead concludes aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship, where Luke is tricked into confessing to poisoning Thalia’s tree, clearing Chiron’s name.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The study reveals that Cl–Fe–N4 exhibits stronger Cl–poisoning resistance in seawater environments.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 2026
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Officials in both Hong Kong and Beijing defended the case against Lai, with the city’s leader John Lee accusing the newspaper of inciting violence and poisoning young minds.
—Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Jury selection is set to begin on Tuesday in the murder trial of Kouri Richins, a Utah mom accused of fatally poisoning her husband with fentanyl.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 Feb. 2026
The bulletin highlights the case of James Craig, who was convicted in July of poisoning his wife’s protein shakes with a mix of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, the medication used in eye drops.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
In one example, a Colorado dentist was convicted of first-degree murder after gradually poisoning his wife with a mix of arsenic, cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, a medication commonly found in eye drops.
—Emma Bussey , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Then Lord Blackwood tries to enact a plan that involves poisoning much of Parliament, and he’s finally thwarted in a third-act fight sequence that plays out on top of London’s Tower Bridge, then in construction.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
In the novel, the story instead concludes aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship, where Luke is tricked into confessing to poisoning Thalia’s tree, clearing Chiron’s name.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The study reveals that Cl–Fe–N4 exhibits stronger Cl–poisoning resistance in seawater environments.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Jan. 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
-
Several clean energy groups said extending the coal plants would raise serious questions about TVA’s decision-making, since the utility has said more natural gas plants were needed to retire polluting coal plants.—
Jonathan Mattise,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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For that reason, many local opponents argue that if compressor stations are going to be expanded, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection should force Iroquois to utilize less-polluting technologies such as all-electric motors.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Military planners outlined potential operational concepts aimed at degrading the program, including strikes on key manufacturing and development sites.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Making buses free risks degrading performance.—
Josh Appel,
Washington Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Illinois bolted an early 15-3 lead as USC stumbled out of the gate, turning the ball over four times in the first six minutes and missing seven of its first eight shots.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Consider pausing a debate, rescheduling an extra meeting, or turning a workout into a quiet walk, because solitude restores your energy and lets new ideas surface.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Much of the damage that the larger amount would cause, especially the impact on the pond and spoiling the preserve, would still happen under the new plan.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Petrecca was thrust into the commentary role, replacing Auro Bulbarelli, who removed himself after spoiling the surprise arrival of Mattarella aboard one of the city’s trams.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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You and your daughter are fitted with masks before you are brought in through a side door to avoid contaminating the waiting room, and then herded into an isolated negative-pressure room designed to prevent the aerosolized virus from traveling into the hall.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Thousands of Princeton undergraduates took it upon themselves to search the nearby woods, despite official concerns about contaminating potential evidence.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
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Blakeney then recruited other players on the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.—
Paulina Dedaj , Ryan Morik , Andrew Fone,
FOXNews.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bessette showing off her innate sense of what’s cool, and singlehandedly convincing the designer to bring the young model into the fold.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
19 Feb. 2026
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Some health influencers claim, without convincing human-subject data to prove their point, that rapamycin slows cellular aging.—
Jordan D. Metzl,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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