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
Attorneys for a Utah children's book author accused of poisoning her husband to death are accusing members of the prosecution team of witness intimidation, just weeks before jury selection is set to begin in her high-profile murder trial.
—
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 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
This comes after Martin pled guilty to willfully poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine, which is a felony offense in Nevada.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
The anxiety-inducing visual, directed by Noel Paul, sees Mitski stepping into Jackson’s world, in which two sisters retreat from public life after one of them is accused of poisoning the rest of the family.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
Loraine Wade emerges as the person responsible for poisoning Gerry during the party at Chimneys.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
In one case, in the year before Makandal’s death, a servant in Saint-Domingue named Médor was arrested for poisoning his enslaver to obtain his freedom.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 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
This comes after Martin pled guilty to willfully poisoning or adulterating food, water or medicine, which is a felony offense in Nevada.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
The anxiety-inducing visual, directed by Noel Paul, sees Mitski stepping into Jackson’s world, in which two sisters retreat from public life after one of them is accused of poisoning the rest of the family.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2026
Loraine Wade emerges as the person responsible for poisoning Gerry during the party at Chimneys.
—Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
In one case, in the year before Makandal’s death, a servant in Saint-Domingue named Médor was arrested for poisoning his enslaver to obtain his freedom.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoning
Verb
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Judges typically allow for questioning of prospective jurors who may have a bias separately from the larger pool of jurors to avoid tainting others.—
John Diedrich,
jsonline.com,
12 Dec. 2025
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And there's also issues of tainting the jury pool.—
Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Adam Sabes , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Due to these conditions, the region is highly reliant on expensive and polluting diesel fuel transported by truck, plane, or barge.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Florida’s approach for policing water contamination amounts to an honor system that protects polluting industries — including agriculture and development, whose representatives lobby heavily in Tallahassee, the Times found.—
Bethany Barnes,
Miami Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The issue has intensified in recent years and is only set to get worse, as the relentless expansion of urban centres brings artificial light further into the countryside, permeating and degrading our view of the heavens.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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These combined factors are degrading the city’s healthcare system.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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All lighting on the Chief Vintage is LED, and the adaptive headlight can peek into corners while turning.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Google is rolling out major updates to Gemini in Chrome, turning the browser into an AI-powered assistant designed to help users multitask, browse faster, and complete complex online tasks with less effort.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While photography was strictly off limits in certain creative hubs to avoid spoiling unannounced figurines currently in development, the atmosphere on-site remained incredibly jovial.—
Robert Lang,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2026
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Winter Storm Fern is already spoiling weekend travel plans for Charlotte airport passengers, with a forecast of snow, sleet, and freezing rain looming over the state.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The estimated volume of wastewater contaminating the San Gabriel River is more than 100,000 gallons, per the release.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Check your squash regularly for signs of spoilage and remove any affected squash immediately to avoid contaminating the others.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
4 Jan. 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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Unfortunately, The Joker must lie to his mom by convincing a stranger to be their girlfriend and agree to joining them at a Broadway show.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
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The mom-to-be’s condition rapidly worsens, with Addison convincing Amelia — again reluctantly — to restore her privileges and scrub in.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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