Words / B2

POYZ-uh-n-uh-s/ˈpɔɪzənəs/

Poisonous means containing poison, or extremely unpleasant and likely to cause harm: a poisonous species; a poisonous atmosphere. Venomous is for animals that inject venom; toxic is a close twin. Label the species poisonous on the sheet. Mix-up: poison (noun/verb); poisonous vs venomous in biology. Do not call a strict teacher poisonous.

Meaning

Containing poison; also extremely unpleasant or likely to cause harm.

Examples

• “Label the species poisonous on the fieldwork sheet, not “a bit nasty”.”
• “A poisonous atmosphere in the chamber featured in the sketch, which is the hostile sense.”

Good to know

a poisonous + noun; highly poisonous. Twin: toxic. Biology trap: venomous (injects). Sciences, news, and language papers. Contains poison, or hostile — specify.

Near in meaning

toxic

New