poisonous

[ poi-zuh-nuh s ]
/ ˈpɔɪ zə nəs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR poisonous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

full of or containing poison: poisonous air; a poisonous substance.
harmful; destructive: poisonous to animals; poisonous rumors.
deeply malicious; malevolent: poisonous efforts.

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Origin of poisonous

First recorded in 1565–75; poison + -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM poisonous

Words nearby poisonous

poison sumach, poison-arrow frog, poison-pen, poison-pen letter, poisoning, poisonous, poisonwood, poisson, poisson distribution, poisson's ratio, poitier
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to nonpoisonous

secure, healthy, certain, reliable, harmless, dependable, pure, clear, sound, innocent, competent, innocuous, inoffensive, tame, trustworthy, wholesome, checked, innoxious, nontoxic, unpolluted

Example sentences from the Web for nonpoisonous

  • Her second-stage rockets were also of the nonpoisonous variety, because she fired them at a bare 60,000 feet.

    Space Tug|Murray Leinster

  • Several species of nonpoisonous snakes were more common but were nowhere really abundant.

    Camps and Trails in China|Roy Chapman Andrews and Yvette Borup Andrews

  • (e) The poisonous portions are not distinguishable from the nonpoisonous, either macroscopically or microscopically.

    Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, November 1899|Various

British Dictionary definitions for nonpoisonous (1 of 2)

nonpoisonous
/ (nɒnˈpɔɪzənəs) /

adjective

not having the effects or qualities of a poison

British Dictionary definitions for nonpoisonous (2 of 2)

poisonous
/ (ˈpɔɪzənəs) /

adjective

having the effects or qualities of a poison
capable of killing or inflicting injury; venomous
corruptive or malicious

Derived forms of poisonous

poisonously, adverbpoisonousness, noun
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

Medical definitions for nonpoisonous

poisonous
[ poi′zə-nəs ]

adj.

Relating to or caused by a poison.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.