ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Poisonous

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈpɔɪzənəs/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Poisonous is an adjective meaning Containing sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest.

Meaning

Containing sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest.

More Meanings

  1. (figuratively) Negative, harmful.
  2. (sometimes proscribed) Of an animal such as a snake or spider, or parts of its body: producing a toxin intended for defensive or offensive use which is usually injected into an enemy or prey by biting or stinging; hence, of a bite or sting: injecting poison.

Example Sentences

Poisonous snakes should only be handled by experienced professionals.
While highly poisonous to dogs, this substance is completely harmless if ingested by humans.
Nor taint-worm ſhall infect the yeaning herds / Nor penny-graſs, nor ſpearwort's poiſ'nous leaf.
Evidently the first thing to ascertain is whether the case is really that of a bite by a poisonous snake…

Synonyms for poisonous

Depending on context, synonyms include poisoned, toxic, venomous, attery, malevolent, malicious.

Antonyms for poisonous

Common opposites include nonpoisonous, unpoisonous.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include venomous, toxicant, toxic, vicious, malevolent, malicious.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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