venomous

adjective

ˈve-nə-məs How to pronounce venomous (audio)
Definition of venomousnext
as in poisonous
containing or contaminated with a substance capable of injuring or killing a living thing a venomous arrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 venomous Highly venomous brown snakes are also found in the area, and a bite could have killed a small child. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026 Although there are more than 100 snake species and subspecies in Texas, there are only four groups of venomous snakes in the state. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 According to the popular—and scientifically baseless—myth, daddy longlegs spiders are among the most venomous spiders, but their fangs are too short to bite humans. — Melissa Petruzzello, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 In particular, officials are on the lookout for venomous species, although some admittedly fall through the cracks. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for venomous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for venomous
  1. poisonous
  2. poison
Adjective
  • With the throne disengaged from governance, petitions and reports from officials piled up unread, crucial state posts went unfilled, and the imperial bureaucracy splintered amid poisonous factional infighting.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
  • With this potential even more poisonous investments in the bloated and indebted Paramount behemoth, there’s even more reason to reject it.
    — Abigail Disney, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of poisonous
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
Definition of poison

Browse Nearby Words

venom
venomous
venomously
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Venomous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/venomous. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All