as in poisoned
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
some evil person was leaving out poisonous meat for neighborhood dogs to eat
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Recent Examples of poisonous
Cruel, narcissistic, duplicitous—the list is long and by now so familiar that even some of Trump’s supporters concede that his most poisonous attributes are, to use the D.C. lingo, baked into the cake.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025
The person had methanol in their system, the very poisonous main ingredient in wiper fluid.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 29 July 2025
Gastroenteritis is a good reason to refrain from consuming cocaine, various heavy metals or poisonous mushrooms.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Then his heart beat its last, and the poisonous moth embraced him.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2025
The person had methanol in their system, the very poisonous main ingredient in wiper fluid.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 29 July 2025
Gastroenteritis is a good reason to refrain from consuming cocaine, various heavy metals or poisonous mushrooms.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Then his heart beat its last, and the poisonous moth embraced him.
—Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
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Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
28 Feb. 2020
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Some farmers even intentionally poison cranes to stop them from foraging in their crops.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
10 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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Lead is highly regulated today, but that wasn’t always the case for the toxic heavy metal.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
21 Aug. 2025
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An internal investigation by the company — just a single page buried in thousands of pages of state records — shows at least one toxic chemical spill has already occurred in the plant.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Students will learn the identifying characteristics of the most common snakes in Arkansas, including venomous ones.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Aug. 2025
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While venomous, stings from Delaware’s lion’s manes and sea nettles typically only cause minor irritation and pain, said Edwards.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
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