poisonous

From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse. By surface analysis, poison +‎ -ous.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔɪzənəs/, /ˈpɔɪznəs/

• Audio:

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• Rhymes: -ɔɪzənəs, -ɔɪznəs

poisonous (comparative more poisonous, superlative most poisonous)

1. Containing sufficient poison to be dangerous to touch or ingest.

   Synonyms: poisoned, toxic, venomous, (dialectal or archaic) attery

   Antonyms: nonpoisonous, unpoisonous

   While highly poisonous to dogs, this substance is completely harmless if ingested by humans.

   • 1757, John Dyer, “Book I”, in The Fleece: A Poem […] ‎^[1], London: R. and J. Dodsley, page 40:

     Nor taint-worm ſhall infect the yeaning herds / Nor penny-graſs, nor ſpearwort's poiſ'nous leaf.

   • 2003, Charles L. Fergus, Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the Northeast, Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 77:

     I had picked a mushroom so poisonous that particles of it, stuck to my fingers and accidentally swallowed, could have made me deathly ill, and a piece the size of my thumb could have killed me.

3. 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.

   • 1668, John Wilkins, chapter V, in An Essay Towards a Real Character, And a Philosophical Language.‎^[2], London: Printer to the Royal Society, page 161:

     SERPENT … either that which is not poiſonous: or that which is counted poiſonous, having two long, hollow, moveable teeth, …

   • 1787, F.S. Clavigero, The History of Mexico‎^[3], London: G. G. J. and J. Robinson, page 60:

     The Cencoatl (o), which is alſo a poiſonous ſnake, is about five feet long, and eight inches round at the thickeſt part.

   • 1895, Leonhard Stejneger, The Poisonous Snakes of North America‎^[4], Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, page 475:

     Evidently the first thing to ascertain is whether the case is really that of a bite by a poisonous snake…

   • 1963, United States. Navy Department. Naval Operations Office, Poisonous Snakes of the World‎^[5], U.S. Government Printing Office, page 29:

     The characteristics which separate the dangerously venomous groups from their non-poisonous relatives are emphasized.

   • 2002, B. Kalman and K. Smithyman, The Life Cycle of a Spider‎^[6], Crabtree Publishing Company, page 31:

     These antivenins make living near poisonous spiders much safer.

4. (figuratively) Negative, harmful.

   Synonym: toxic

   • 2013, Kylie Griffin, Allegiance Sworn, Penguin, →ISBN:

     He didn't want to end up like his grandfather, bitter and intractable, consumed in his hatred like an addict on haze — a poisonous attitude that would possess him all his remaining years.

Some speakers, especially in technical contexts, make a distinction between poisonous (containing toxins and thus dangerous to ingest), and venomous (releasing toxins, known as venom in this case, by biting or stinging a target). See also poison § Usage notes.