venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈve-nə-məs 

1

: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death

venomous snakes

2

: full of venom: such as

a

: poisonous, envenomed

b

: noxious, pernicious

… expose a venomous dope ring …

—Don Porter

c

: spiteful, malevolent

venomous criticism

venomously adverb

venomousness noun

Synonyms of venomous

• poisonous
• poisoned
• poison

Examples of venomous in a Sentence

The cobra is a venomous snake.

a venomous attack on his character

Recent Examples on the Web

Santa Ana police tried to track down a tropical, extremely venomous viper after receiving an image of the snake on a tree above a shed Monday. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Here’s how to tell the difference between a venomous snake and a harmless one. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 24 Sep. 2026

The prairie rattlesnake and the western massasauga prefer the west, with the prairie rattlesnake being the only species of venomous snakes common to the Panhandle. — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 21 Sep. 2026

Highly venomous brown snakes are also found in the area, and a bite could have killed a small child. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venimous, borrowed from Anglo-French venimus, venimous, from venim venom entry 1 + -us, -ous -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs 

: having or producing venom

venomous snakes

venomously adverb

Medical Definition

venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs 

1

: poisonous

2

: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death

the vipers, pit vipers, and coral snakes are venomous