0%

poison-pen

poi·son-pen
P p

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [poi-zuh n pen]
    • /ˈpɔɪ zən pɛn/
    • 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

Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?