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
In November 2024, an American citizen was among six tourists who died in Laos, where alcohol tainted with methanol was blamed for poisoning them.
—
Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025
But Antonio distracts him by accusing him in the town square of sending Justina off to El Alcazar and poisoning his son.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
Hogan initially denied poisoning her estranged husband, according to police, but later changed her story.
—Mike Stunson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Krishna discovers that Kaliya is living beneath the surface of a local pond and poisoning its waters with his venom.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Jay Ganglani, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2025
What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025
But Antonio distracts him by accusing him in the town square of sending Justina off to El Alcazar and poisoning his son.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 12 Oct. 2025
Hogan initially denied poisoning her estranged husband, according to police, but later changed her story.
—Mike Stunson, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025
Krishna discovers that Kaliya is living beneath the surface of a local pond and poisoning its waters with his venom.
—Seamus Sullivan
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoning
Verb
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In its new filing, Mangione’s defense team expressed concern about tainting the pool of prospective jurors.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
17 Oct. 2025
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In the end, when Malcolm pulls out a sword on him, Brian is given little choice but to kill Malcolm in front of Ellen in the ensuing battle, tainting the start of the happy couple’s life together.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The new material uses a common wood waste product to create a greener future for electronics, removing toxic metals and avoiding complex, polluting manufacturing methods.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Solar Power to the Amazonian People Many riverside communities throughout the Amazon basin lack access to electricity and often depend on polluting kerosene lamps and diesel generators for light and power.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The local politicians like Mayor Wu who are staying mum are just compounding cronyism and degrading the livability of the neighborhood.—
Lou Murray,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Rain, wind gusts, birds and other atmospheric surprises during low-altitude flight might alter the inflowing air to the cruise missile, degrading the reactor.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Season-defining results turning not on the ever-growing bona fide quality of the players and the performances but on farcical decision-making.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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The guy wants to create a ballroom for his rich friends while turning a blind eye to the fact that babies are going to starve when the SNAP benefits end hours from now.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Wright, however, adds a coda that, without spoiling anything, introduces something extra to the zero-sum game.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
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Pluribus crackles with terrific comic tension as Carol wakes up next to her dead partner, filled with grief yet spoiling for a fight.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Food Packaging Forum keeps a research database on plastics contaminating food, including paper cups.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
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State law prohibits coal from contaminating the state’s waters and imposes a $25,000 civil fine for each penalty.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
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But the church also taught that the power of music could be corrupting.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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An attack by civilians on the army headquarters is the sort of cardinal sin the military is unlikely to forgive, regardless of clever lawyers and convincing legal arguments.—
Rafia Zakaria,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
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The Arizona Cardinals have finally snapped their five-game losing streak, doing so in convincing fashion with a 27-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoning. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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