venom

noun

ˈve-nəm How to pronounce venom (audio)
Definition of venomnext
1
as in poison
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing an antidote to snake venom

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in malice
the desire to cause pain for the satisfaction of doing harm a neighborhood gossip of such venom that she was feared by all and genuinely liked by no one

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of venom Kenzie required two doses of anti-venom and a lengthy hospital stay to treat the snakebite, but has since fully recovered. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 In 1992, John Eng, who had been studying the venom of Gila monsters for years, discovered a new peptide called exendin-4 that acted like GLP-1 in the body. — Bo Evans, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Sometimes there’s a real venom to the way people put you under microscopes. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026 The report also details cases on research into orthopoxviruses – a group that includes variola, which causes smallpox, and mpox – as well as venom toxins. — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for venom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venom
  1. poison
  2. malice
  3. toxic
  4. hatred
  5. disease
  6. toxin
Noun
  • Previous strategies for growing plants on Mars included rinsing these poisons out, bringing supplemental fertilizers from Earth, or avoiding Martian soil entirely and using hydroponics.
    — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The first image from the episode (see it above) shows Butters in what appears to be his backyard with the X-Pest exterminator guy, who has strapped on his tank of poison and has his sprayer wand at the ready.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • In October, a Newton County grand jury indicted 43-year-old Taiesha Wilson on charges of malice murder, murder, concealing the death of another, identity theft, and more.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Kingston Bradley of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested and charged with concealing the death of another and malice murder in connection with Mosley’s death.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of malice
Noun
  • In late May, about 50,000 people in Orange County were evacuated because, at a Garden Grove site operated by GKN Aerospace, tanks holding a volatile hazardous chemical called methyl methacrylate were at risk of exploding or leaking toxics.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Munoz is an independent toxicologist working in collaboration with MAHA against pesticides and toxics.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of toxic
Noun
  • Platforms for hatred These platforms don’t make hatred possible.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Renée shared a hatred of Nazis and had a keen desire to defeat the Axis powers.
    — Gaby Iori October 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • The first is to dramatically accelerate the pace of basic science, and the second is to accelerate curing disease and extending health span.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
  • DeVeydt added that costs for inpatient services and pharmacy, particularly costly specialty pharmacy drugs for cancer and rare diseases, remain elevated.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • While raw materials potentially useful for Earth life are found in abundance on Mars, they are mixed in the soil with toxins such as perchlorate, as well as salts that would make growth difficult for most organisms.
    — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • After the 2025 fires, there were complaints by residents that the FAIR Plan refused to test and remediate homes suffering damage by smoke, which can leave behind lead, asbestos and other toxins.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of toxin

Browse Nearby Words

venial
venom
venomous
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Venom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venom. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on venom

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about venom

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All