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to envenom

to envenom

9.9
To make a person or group feel bitter and angry
  • verb
  • /ɪnˈvɛnəm/
translation icon : envenenar
  • Given the stronger Democratic majority in the upper house, I have a feeling that Cruz will be marginalized, but I am concerned that his rabid ideologies will continue to envenom the political process in his freshman term.

Examples

  • The continuous arguments between the neighbors began to envenom what was once a friendly community.

  • Her harsh criticism seemed to envenom his enthusiasm for the project, leaving him feeling discouraged.

  • The scandal only served to envenom the already tense relationship between the two countries.

Synonyms

to anger
vsto envenom
114 1.0

To make someone very upset or annoyed

is about causing bitterness and resentment rather than general displeasure
to enrage
vsto envenom
68 3.7

To make someone very angry

is about making someone bitter rather than causing sudden extreme anger
to infuriate
vsto envenom
46 5.0

Make someone very angry

is about causing bitterness and resentment rather than intense fury
to rankle
vsto envenom
10 8.0

To continue to make someone feel angry or hurt

is about making someone bitter rather than focusing on lasting irritation
to grate
vsto envenom
  • Informal
9 6.7

Annoy someone more and more over time

is more about causing bitterness rather than slow repeated irritation
to gall
vsto envenom
8 7.1

To annoy someone deeply

is about making someone bitter rather than simply causing anger
to embitter
vsto envenom
5 6.8

To make someone feel hurt and angry for a long time

is the same meaning but uses different wording
to acerbate
vsto envenom
9.9

To make someone feel more bitter and angry about something

is the same meaning but expressed with different wording

Antonyms

63 3.4

To make someone feel calmer or reduce their pain

38 5.1

To become friendly again after a disagreement

How Bitter

to envenom
9.9
to upset
362 1.0
to irritate
78 2.9
to annoy
246 1.0

Surface Forms

envenom infinitive
envenomed past
envenomed past participle
envenoming present participle
envenoms third person singular

Morphology

envenom = venom (semi-transparent) = en + venom

The sense is a metaphorical extension of 'venom' (poison) to malice or bitterness, so the formation is regular but the meaning is figurative.

Etymology

Envenom comes from en- 'in' and venom 'poison'. A helpful way to remember the other meaning is to think of 'poisoning' feelings, so to envenom someone is to make them 'bitter' or full of anger.