Venomous

/ˈvɛnəməs/ · adjective

Meaning

Of an animal (specifically a snake) or parts of its body: producing venom (“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 venom..

Definitions by Sense

1. Of an animal (specifically a snake) or parts of its body: producing venom (“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 venom.
2. Of or pertaining to venom.
3. (archaic) Consisting of, or containing or full of, venom or some other poison; hence, harmful to health due to this.
4. Posing a threat; dangerous, threatening.
5. Hateful; malignant; spiteful.
6. Of a weapon such as an arrow or dart: dosed with venom or poison; envenomed, poisoned.
7. Harmful, hurtful, injurious; specifically, morally or spiritually harmful; evil, noxious, pernicious.

Example Sentences

Do venomous spiders have glands?

For that beaſtes teeth, vvhich vvounded you tofore, / Are ſo exceeding venemous and keene, / Made all of ruſty yron, ranckling ſore, / That vvhen they bite, it booteth not to vveene / VVith ſalue, or antidote, or other mene / It euer to amend: […]

Haſt thou the pretty vvorme of Nylus [an asp] there, / That killes and paines not? / […] / Come thou mortal vvretch, / VVith thy ſharpe teeth this knot intrinſicate, / Of life at once vntye: Poore venomous Foole, / Be angry, and diſpatch.

[T]he biting of a Pike is venemous and hard to be cured.

[M]any, if not moſt of our European venemous Animals carry their Cure, as vvell as Poiſon in their ovvn Bodies. The Oil, and I doubt not, the Body of Scorpions too, is a certain Remedy againſt its Stroke.

VVith reſpect to the Salamander, the vvhole tribe, from the Moron to the Gekko, are ſaid to be venomous to the laſt degree; yet, vvhen experiments have been tried, no arts, no provocations, could excite theſe animals to the rage of biting.

Yet the darling sin is there in our heart of hearts; we hug it close—we hide it from every human eye. But in the still night-watches it comes forth like a serpent out of his hole, and rears its venomous crest, and stings us with the horror of our guilt.

For Tim Friede, who's now the director of herpetology at Centivax, it's about helping the people impacted by venomous snakebites worldwide. When he heard that his antibodies had helped create this new antivenom cocktail, he says he was happy.

Synonyms for venomous

Antonyms for venomous

Related Words

Word Forms

• more venomous
• most venomous
• venemous

Usage Notes

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