poisonous

[ poi-zuh-nuh s ]

/ ˈpɔɪ zə nəs /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

Origin of poisonous

First recorded in 1565–75; poison + -ous

Related forms

poi·son·ous·ly, adverbpoi·son·ous·ness, nounnon·poi·son·ous, adjectivenon·poi·son·ous·ly, adverb

non·poi·son·ous·ness, nounsem·i·poi·son·ous, adjectivesem·i·poi·son·ous·ly, adverbun·poi·son·ous, adjectiveun·poi·son·ous·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for poisonous

Alcohol and sugar, even in moderate amounts, are not only sinful but poisonous.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The stench of corruption is settling over world soccer like a poisonous fog, and players are paying the price.
Is Soccer Great Lionel Messi Corrupt?|Jack Holmes|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon Medusa had the face of a woman and poisonous snakes for hair; her glance could turn men to stone.
Russia’s Freest Website Now Lives in Latvia|Anna Nemtsova|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other organisms died off in large numbers because oxygen was poisonous to them.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.|Matthew R. Francis|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That said, this particularly retiring writer has received a poisonous gift from the Nobel committee.
Nobel Prize Winner Modiano’s Magical Musical Prose About Paris|Pierre Assouline|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In poisonous doses it depresses the circulation and the nerves generally, but it causes no stupor or insensibility.
The Action of Medicines in the System|Frederick William Headland
Potatoes were not as yet cultivated in New England, onions were not generally, and tomatoes were looked upon as poisonous.
The Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Settlement of the Town of New Milford, Conn. June 17th, 1907|Daniel Davenport
Nowadays they cannot, being purged of any poisonous element, do harm to the skin that they make beautiful.
The Works of Max Beerbohm|Max Beerbohm
Treachery, or, perhaps worse, a kind of poised—and poisonous—mental judo?
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
The Government is monopolizing grain, to make us to pay through the nose for a poisonous bread.
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 2 (of 6)|Hippolyte A. Taine

British Dictionary definitions for poisonous

poisonous

/ (ˈpɔɪzənəs) /

adjective

having the effects or qualities of a poison

capable of killing or inflicting injury; venomous

corruptive or malicious

Derived Formspoisonously, 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

Word Origin and History for poisonous

poisonous

adj.

1570s, from poison (n.) + -ous. Failed 16c. rivals were poisonsome, poisonful, poisony. Earlier poisoned was used (late 15c.). Related: Poisonously; poisonousness.

poisonous

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of poisonous

Examples from the Web for poisonous

British Dictionary definitions for poisonous

poisonous

adjective

Word Origin and History for poisonous

poisonous

Medicine definitions for poisonous

poisonous

adj.