as in poisonous
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing
leaving poisoned food to try to kill the roaches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in tainted
to affect slightly with something morally bad or undesirable
poisoning the minds of impressionable children with ethnic hatred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in polluted
to make unfit for use by the addition of something harmful or undesirable
exhaust fumes poisoning the air
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in degraded
to lower in character, dignity, or quality
this party partisanship poisons the national debate we should be having about this urgent problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in turned
to cause to have often negative opinions formed without sufficient knowledge
malicious rumors had poisoned many church members against the new pastor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 poisoned
Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
The incident saw former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoned in Salisbury, England.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Her closest brush with tragedy occurred in season one when she was poisoned, but Oliver’s veterinarian son was able to bring her back to perfect health.
—Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
The attack, which has been linked to a threat actor tracked as TeamPCP, poisoned the durabletask package after compromising Microsoft credentials for publishing the package.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
Some believe that’s by design, that the show has been poisoned on purpose.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
In the end, he was poisoned by his right-hand man, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who did so because Frank was planning to kill Claire.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Verb
Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 15 June 2026
Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.
—ABC News, 10 June 2026
The incident saw former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia poisoned in Salisbury, England.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Her closest brush with tragedy occurred in season one when she was poisoned, but Oliver’s veterinarian son was able to bring her back to perfect health.
—Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
The attack, which has been linked to a threat actor tracked as TeamPCP, poisoned the durabletask package after compromising Microsoft credentials for publishing the package.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026
Some believe that’s by design, that the show has been poisoned on purpose.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
In the end, he was poisoned by his right-hand man, Doug Stamper (Michael Kelly), who did so because Frank was planning to kill Claire.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 June 2026
He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poisoned
Adjective
-
The plant, which is non-native and is for ornamental purposes, is poisonous to horses.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Not only are the leaves poisonous to humans and pets, but the vine itself is invasive and can spread disease to trees.—
Samantha Johnson,
Martha Stewart,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Some kits are less easy to adore, whether bad (always subjective), good but spoiled by a dubious sponsor, a combination of both or tainted by association.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
11 June 2026
-
The left no longer believes that immigrants of diverse backgrounds should assimilate themselves into a national culture tainted by white supremacy, while the right views immigrants’ very presence in the country as a threat to that same national culture.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
As a result, many people living near Mavecure have gotten out of gold mining, which polluted the jungle rivers with mercury and sediment, to work as tour guides, operate restaurants and hostels, or sell arts and crafts.—
John Otis,
NPR,
30 May 2026
-
At the latter, four local farmers show The Athletic water courses polluted with crude oil.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Since the fires first erupted, officials have urged people with respiratory or other health concerns to remain indoors as smoke has degraded air quality across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
18 June 2026
-
China uses nearly half of the world’s construction sand and gravel, a habit that has severely degraded fragile river ecosystems.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit, filed on Saturday in the Central District of California, claims that the supermodel turned media personality participated in a 3½-hour interview, of which about 16 minutes was used.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Salah turned 34 today, with several fans bringing signs to the stadium in his honor.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Power to the people is poison to the powerful.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Dropped in recent years because carbs are poison.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In Capri, meanwhile, you’re spoiled for choice.—
Laura Itzkowitz,
Travel + Leisure,
14 June 2026
-
O’Hara, who played spoiled, eccentric housewife Moira Rose, and Elliott, who played quirky town mayor Roland Schitt, shared the screen for the entirety of the series.—
Janey Wetzel,
PEOPLE,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Washing hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food and/or possibly contaminated surfaces.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
You can also be exposed to the toxin by eating shellfish that have been contaminated with the toxin.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Poisoned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poisoned. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
