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
Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.
—
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
It was also used in a separate supply-chain attack poisoning dozens of Red Hat packages.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
While there will still be the occasional video focused on music or audio — say, poisoning AI music systems or storing data in bird song — lately Benn has been largely focused on the surveillance state.
—Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 6 June 2026
By Chris Boyette, CNN A California judge dismissed charges against a dermatologist accused of poisoning her husband with liquid drain cleaner, ruling that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office had withheld evidence from the grand jury that indicted her.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Four people have died in California as a result of the amatoxin poisoning outbreak.
—Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
The Maya were poisoning their own water.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
It was also used in a separate supply-chain attack poisoning dozens of Red Hat packages.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
While there will still be the occasional video focused on music or audio — say, poisoning AI music systems or storing data in bird song — lately Benn has been largely focused on the surveillance state.
—Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 6 June 2026
By Chris Boyette, CNN A California judge dismissed charges against a dermatologist accused of poisoning her husband with liquid drain cleaner, ruling that the Orange County District Attorney’s Office had withheld evidence from the grand jury that indicted her.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 2 June 2026
Four people have died in California as a result of the amatoxin poisoning outbreak.
—Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026
The Maya were poisoning their own water.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The chemotherapy doctors are poisoning you.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoning
Verb
-
Brandy, a 90s R&B mainstay, lied about marrying her daughter’s father in the early aughts for fear of tainting her stardom.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
-
Protagonist Jo’s mother disappeared when Jo was a teen, tainting her daughter with the stain of possible witchcraft.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
And putting data centers into orbit may help companies avoid the community backlash against data centers and the sometimes polluting power plants installed to run them on Earth.—
Ashley Capoot,CJ Haddad,Samantha Subin,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
12 June 2026
-
Meta has denied that its Georgia data center is polluting waters.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The country’s ministry of culture and sports set out a series of rules and regulations which included no pyro, no face paint and no shouting of words that could be degrading towards any person on the field, not even the referee.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The show follows Charles, Oliver and Mabel, three eccentric neighbors, who find purpose and chaos in solving murders that hit close to home through their true-crime podcast, turning their New York apartment building into a playground of mystery and mischief.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
10 June 2026
-
After 26 years of helping Charlotte-Mecklenburg residents through financial and housing difficulties, Crisis Assistance Ministry CEO Carol Hardison is turning a new page.—
Laura Horne,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Republicans have long held on to hope that Valadao might be able to hold on to his San Joaquin Valley district, spoiling Democratic hopes for a flip there.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
-
The sheets will absorb excess moisture, which will prevent your fruits and veggies spoiling quickly.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Verb
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But across Oklahoma, the fluid is spreading uncontrollably belowground, blasting out of old, unplugged wells, polluting land and contaminating drinking water.—
Katie Campbell,
ProPublica,
2 June 2026
-
Some medical clinics advertise microdosing Zepbound by drawing up less than the full amount in the single-use vial, but this has not been studied, and there is a risk of contaminating the vial by using it more than once.—
Jody Dushay,
STAT,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.—
George G. Szpiro,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The sting resonated with Seanna Martinez, who showed CBS News Miami a photo from her teen years, recalling how predators groomed her online, convincing her to send explicit photos to men.—
Steve Maugeri,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
The challenge will be convincing voters that this time will be different, and that the policies Democrats want to pursue will truly benefit voters’ lives.—
Missy Ryan,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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