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

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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 The proteins in Komodo dragon venom are too large to pass through modern humans’ stomach linings and would probably have been broken down by the Hobbits’ digestive enzymes, according to Veatch and her colleagues. — ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026 Granny doesn’t discriminate, hissing invective at both Alice and Thya with equal venom. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026 For example, vipers use their fangs to inject venom into their target. — Philip Anderson, The Conversation, 8 July 2026 According to Levine, no attempt should be made to remove the venom yourself, whether by sucking on the wound or cutting it. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 7 July 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
  • Someone on the way out steals that mask, leaving Juliette in danger of succumbing to the poison.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • Stone, who was not involved with the work, suggests that the brothers died because of malarial infection but that toxicological analyses would have to be done to know whether poison also played a role.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of poison
Noun
  • But on Wednesday, the jury in the latest trial found that MGA had not acted with malice, meaning no punitive damages would be awarded.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026
  • The company’s own investigation points less to malice than to a process that never engaged.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 2 July 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
  • Shifrin, too, had once only seen the mountain as a symbol of hatred.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • But although few, then, could possibly have foreseen the cataclysm of the twentieth-century wars, the hatred was already there in the anti-semitism of old France, in the divisions over Dreyfus.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Definition of hatred
Noun
  • DeepMind’s AlphaFold, for example, has used to AI to make available new structures for more than 200 million proteins, opening new pathways for research into disease and medicine.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The lab got its start with studies of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the 1900s, when ranchers and cattle were dying from the then-unknown disease.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of disease
Noun
  • Heating or fireplace experts can make sure that vents, ducts and other systems are working properly to remove harmful smoke and toxins created while the wood burns.
    — Dr. Lauren Zajac, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026
  • Critics point to a quilt-like pattern of toxins, rather than widespread contamination, as evidence that the lead was likely present before the Eaton fires and could be treated with less urgency.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of toxin

Browse Nearby Words

venial
venom
venomous
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Cite this Entry

“Venom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venom. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on venom

Nglish: Translation of venom for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about venom

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