different between deleterious vs poisonous

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin deleterius, from Ancient Greek ?????????? (d?l?t?rios, “noxious, deleterious”), from ??????? (d?l?t?r, “a destroyer”), from ???????? (d?léomai, “I hurt, damage, spoil, waste”), 1640s.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t???i.?s/, /?d?l??t???i.?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?d?l??t??i.?s/
• Rhymes: -??ri?s

Adjective

deleterious (comparative more deleterious, superlative most deleterious)

1. Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way.

   Synonyms: destructive, harmful, hurtful, injurious, noxious, pernicious; see also Thesaurus:harmful
2. (genetics) having lower fitness.

Derived terms

• deleteriously
• deleteriousness

Related terms

• delete
• deletion
• deletory

Translations

Further reading

• deleterious at OneLook Dictionary Search
• deleterious in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “deleterious”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

References

English

Etymology

From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse, equivalent to poison +? -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p??z?n?s/, /?p??zn?s/

Adjective

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

2. (figuratively) Negative, harmful.

   Synonym: toxic

Usage notes

Some speakers make a distinction between poisonous (releasing toxins when eaten), and venomous (releasing toxins (known as venom in this case) by biting a target), especially in non-colloquial speech.

Derived terms

Translations