Synonyms of poisoning

poisoning

verb

present participle of poison

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

• tainting
• spoiling
• marring
• staining
• darkening
• touching
• tarnishing
• blackening
• lowering
• polluting
• discrediting
• degrading
• corrupting
• vitiating
• smearing
• distorting
• blemishing
• soiling
• blurring
• discoloring
• dirtying
• sullying
• clouding
• disgracing
• besmirching
• shaming
• dishonoring
• sinking
• fouling
• smudging
• tarring
• perverting
• debasing
• subverting
• debauching
• cheapening
• depraving
• twisting
• besmearing
• demeaning
• smirching
• smutting
• demoralizing
• abasing
• coloring
• begriming
• bastardizing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cleansing
• purifying
• elevating
• magnifying
• uplifting
• glorifying
• ennobling
• dignifying
• enshrining
• hallowing

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

• polluting
• contaminating
• tainting
• infecting
• defiling
• befouling
• fouling
• staining
• diluting
• soiling
• dirtying
• rotting
• blackening
• sullying
• besmirching
• corrupting
• smudging
• spoiling
• adulterating
• muddying
• miring
• fouling up
• griming
• watering down
• smirching
• doctoring
• begriming

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cleaning
• purifying
• cleansing
• purging
• clearing
• clarifying
• distilling
• filtering
• decontaminating
• sterilizing
• disinfecting
• sanitizing

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

• degrading
• corrupting
• weakening
• deteriorating
• damaging
• diluting
• destroying
• subverting
• humiliating
• debauching
• polluting
• depraving
• ruining
• perverting
• debasing
• contaminating
• cankering
• tainting
• lessening
• prostituting
• disgracing
• warping
• cheapening
• demoralizing
• harming
• demeaning
• vitiating
• marring
• bastardizing
• abasing
• profaning
• shaming
• hurting
• thinning
• wrecking
• impairing
• dirtying
• spoiling
• defiling
• watering down
• dishonoring
• tarnishing
• humbling
• staining
• befouling
• descending
• defacing
• downgrading
• begriming
• flawing
• taking down
• depreciating
• blemishing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• elevating
• uplifting
• honoring
• enhancing
• exalting
• cleaning
• enriching
• ameliorating
• amending
• ennobling
• perfecting
• restoring
• bettering
• purifying
• cleansing
• refining
• dignifying
• respecting
• clarifying
• meliorating

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

• turning
• convincing
• persuading
• biasing
• prejudicing
• influencing
• disposing
• predisposing
• inclining
• suggesting
• prepossessing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of poisoning

See affected product Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

The burning of fossil fuels is poisoning the air our kids breathe and endangering their present and future by overheating our planet. — Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Trump is also poisoning the process at a moment when the system for casting votes in the United States really does need shoring up. — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026

An unknown person has been poisoning mature pine trees at Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village since 2022, with 16 more trees targeted this July and August — a case some suspect involves a wealthy resident trying to improve their view of Lake Tahoe. — Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

While the mines themselves trample landscapes, the mercury used in the process is poisoning communities. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Women in ancient Rome used toad secretions to murder their husbands; 16th-century Italian chemists laced salts with toad toxins for poisoning the food of enemies. — Kimon De Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026

Historically used in dry cleaning or to degrease metal parts, the chemicals leaked into the base’s wells, poisoning the drinking water. — Wuft News, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026

In the past, farmers have been suspected of deliberately poisoning elephants to prevent them from eating crops. — CBS News, 29 July 2026