Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [poi-zuh n pen]
- /ˈpɔɪ zən pɛn/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [poi-zuh n pen]
- /ˈpɔɪ zən pɛn/
Definitions of poison-pen word
- adjective poison-pen composed or sent maliciously, as a letter, usually anonymously and for the purpose of damaging another's reputation or happiness: The newspaper received a poison-pen letter alleging that the mayor was misusing city funds. 1
- adjective poison-pen characterized by or given to the sending of poison-pen letters: a poison-pen campaign; a poison-pen writer. 1
- adjective poison-pen designating or of an abusive letter written out of spite or malice, usually anonymously, to harass the recipient 0
Information block about the term
Origin of poison-pen
First appearance:
before 1910 One of the 15% newest English words
First recorded in 1910-15
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Poison-pen
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
poison-pen popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 68% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with p
- Words starting with po
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- Words starting with poiso
- Words starting with poison
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- Words starting with poisonpen