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venomous

venomous

11 4.4
An animal that can put poison into the body with a bite or sting
  • adjective
  • /ˈvɛnəməs/
translation icon : venenoso
  • Australia is home to the most venomous snakes in the world.
  • a venomous snake

A snake is venomous, a spider is venomous.

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Examples

  • No, it just says that their bite is extremely venomous and almost always fatal.

  • Later, Michele interacts with a banded sea snake that is 10 times more venomous than a cobra.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Now, there is a venomous snake that looks very, very similar, from this region.

  • A snake is venomous, a spider is venomous.

    GQ
  • Australia is home to the world's most venomous spiders.

  • They would have encountered quite a few venomous species.

  • The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes.

    Blog text (29)
  • The vicinity is also renowned for its venomous snakes and poisonous ants.

  • Venomous snakes are in big-time demand among medical researchers, collectors, and weirdos who want exotic pets.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Australia is home to the most venomous snakes in the world.

Antonyms

231 1.0

Not able to hurt people or things

1 4.3

Not able to put poison into another animal by biting or stinging

Compounds

A large lizard like a Gila monster that has poison in its bite

venomous-tongued
  • Literature
9.4

Saying harsh, mean things that hurt people

How Dangerous

deadly
543 2.8
dangerous
1.5
venomous
11 4.4
nonvenomous
1 4.3
harmless
231 1.0

Surface Forms

venomous positive

Morphology

venomous = venom (transparent) = venom + ous

The word 'venomous' is transparently derived from 'venom' with the addition of the suffix '-ous', indicating a characteristic of having venom.

Etymology

The word venomous comes from the Latin venenum, which means 'poison', and is the same root as the English word venom. It literally says an animal has 'poison' that it can put into the body with a bite or sting, so venomous describes animals whose bite or sting can harm you.