venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈve-nə-məs 

1

: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death

venomous snakes

2

: full of venom: such as

a

: poisonous, envenomed

b

: noxious, pernicious

expose a venomous dope ring

—Don Porter

c

: spiteful, malevolent

venomous criticism

venomously adverb

venomousness noun

Synonyms

• envenomed
• poison
• poisoned
• poisonous
• toxic

Examples of venomous in a Sentence

The cobra is a venomous snake.

a venomous attack on his character

Recent Examples on the Web

But to have this many venomous snakes, no one's come across it. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Red-bellied black snakes are a kind of venomous snake, and the females are known to congregate to give birth, said Kerewaro. —Jack Guy, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

Part jungle, part swamp, part city — with dozens of animals that can kill you, from alligators to panthers to venomous snakes. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 3 Feb. 2025

His species is the largest venomous snake in the world. —Alissa Widman Neese, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English venimous, borrowed from Anglo-French venimus, venimous, from venim venom entry 1 + -us, -ous -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs 

: having or producing venom

venomous snakes

venomously adverb

Medical Definition

venomous

adjective

ven·​om·​ous ˈven-ə-məs 

1

: poisonous

2

: producing venom in a specialized gland and capable of inflicting injury or death

the vipers, pit vipers, and coral snakes are venomous