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
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
Lauber’s testimony Thursday is pivotal to the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
According to charging documents in the case obtained by USA TODAY, Kouri Richins is accused of poisoning her spouse with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town in Summit County.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Richins, 35, is charged with multiple felonies for allegedly poisoning her late husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Lauber’s testimony Thursday is pivotal to the prosecution of Kouri Richins, who is accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
—Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
According to charging documents in the case obtained by USA TODAY, Kouri Richins is accused of poisoning her spouse with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town in Summit County.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Richins, 35, is charged with multiple felonies for allegedly poisoning her late husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Feb. 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
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Cows are responsible for many millions of pounds of nitrogen every year, polluting Florida’s springs, rivers and estuaries.—
Harper West,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The settlement continues Oklahoma’s progress in holding poultry companies accountable for polluting the Illinois River Watershed, Drummond said.—
Barbara Hoberock,
Oklahoman,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Now both the stock and value of its human capital is degrading, and almost no one is doing anything to stop it.—
Allison Schrager,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
These goals are not incompatible, of course, and all involve degrading Iran’s ability to project force beyond its borders.—
Marie-Rose Sheinerman,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There’s water everywhere, approach angles that punish the wrong side of the fairway, and a closing stretch with a long history of turning good rounds into cautionary tales.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Video later showed Good turning her wheel away from the agent who shot her.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Ryan put the game away with a 7-0 spurt, spoiling Glenn's first trip to the state finals.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
South Florida’s bar scene is constantly spoiling us.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Toxic materials, including mercury used to extract gold from ore, pour into rivers, contaminating the water and harming the workers, wildlife and surrounding communities that rely on local fish and wildfire.—
Antonio Machado Allison,
The Conversation,
6 Mar. 2026
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Don't risk contaminating the soil, starting a fire, or worse to remove a stump.—
Daniel Scott,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Richard Pazdur, a longtime cancer drug regulator, retired from the CDER director post in December due to concerns that political officials were corrupting the agency’s scientific process.—
Lizzy Lawrence,
STAT,
6 Mar. 2026
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In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trailing in most polls behind a popular center-right challenger, the populist Orbán has staked the election on convincing voters that Ukraine poses an existential threat to Hungary’s security.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Despite the many bold predictions of a financial crisis, the AI industry has held on, successfully convincing investors of the tech’s long-term viability.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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