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
Erin Patterson, who murdered three relatives with poisonous mushrooms, has been given a life prison sentence by the supreme court in Australia.
—
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Wolf spider bites are not poisonous and won't cause sores or body-wide symptoms from its venom.
—Carrie Madormo, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
This unconstitutional partisan politicization is poisonous to unit morale and discipline with long-term consequences for who serves and why.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
And when that fish, in turn, succumbs to the claws of a bald eagle, its DDT dense meat becomes a poisonous lunch for an oblivious bird.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Wolf spider bites are not poisonous and won't cause sores or body-wide symptoms from its venom.
—Carrie Madormo, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
This unconstitutional partisan politicization is poisonous to unit morale and discipline with long-term consequences for who serves and why.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
And when that fish, in turn, succumbs to the claws of a bald eagle, its DDT dense meat becomes a poisonous lunch for an oblivious bird.
—Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for poisonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisonous
Adjective
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Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.—
Scott White,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Behavior and reproduction Most frogs are nocturnal, but not poison frogs.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
28 Feb. 2020
Adjective
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Their attitude or behavior can spread through the team, creating a toxic environment that affects everyone around them.—
Nancy Pulciano,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
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Certain childhood and adult cancers are treated with methotrexate, a type of chemotherapy that can cause toxic effects on the body, particularly for the kidneys, by interfering with normal folate activity in cells.—
Alice Park,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Here's what to know about the reptiles (and which are venomous).—
Maria Leontaras,
Nashville Tennessean,
19 Sep. 2025
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Our industry faces the most sophisticated, venomous, creeping evil in America’s history.—
Dan Gilroy,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Poisonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisonous. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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