poisonous
/ˈpɔɪzənəs/ adjective
- adjective Containing sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest. “While highly poisonous to dogs, this substance is completely harmless if ingested by humans.”
- adjective (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. “Poisonous snakes should only be handled by experienced professionals.”
- adjective (figuratively) Negative, harmful.
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Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse. By surface analysis, poison + -ous.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “poisonous”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details