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View synonyms for poisonous

poisonous

[ poi-zuh-nuhs ]

adjective

  1. full of or containing poison:

    poisonous air; a poisonous substance.

  2. harmful; destructive:

    poisonous to animals; poisonous rumors.

  3. deeply malicious; malevolent:

    poisonous efforts.



poisonous

/ ˈpɔɪzənəs /

adjective

  1. having the effects or qualities of a poison
  2. capable of killing or inflicting injury; venomous
  3. corruptive or malicious
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈpoisonousness, noun
  • ˈpoisonously, adverb
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Other Words From

  • poison·ous·ly adverb
  • poison·ous·ness noun
  • non·poison·ous adjective
  • non·poison·ous·ly adverb
  • non·poison·ous·ness noun
  • semi·poison·ous adjective
  • semi·poison·ous·ly adverb
  • un·poison·ous adjective
  • un·poison·ous·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of poisonous1

First recorded in 1565–75; poison + -ous
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Compare Meanings

How does poisonous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Newspapers are back to using words like toxic, deadly and poisonous in their main headlines.

From BBC

Hegseth, who has questioned whether women should be allowed to serve in combat, rails in the book against “diverse recruits, pumped full of vaccines and even more poisonous ideologies.”

What they will reap will likely be poisonous.

From Salon

It’s hard to imagine living in that world now, where poisonous air kills children, your backyard garden, crops and even motorists who crash due to the blinding smog.

There are about 250 varieties of poisonous wild mushrooms found across North America, according to the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control.

From BBC

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