Actively poisonous; deadly; highly infective or malignant (adjective)
Looking for the answer to the USA Today Rootonym clue “Actively poisonous; deadly; highly infective or malignant (adjective)”? The solution is VIRULENT, a 8-letter word built on the root VIRU (“poison”). It appeared in the June 14, 2026 (Sunday) USA Today Rootonym. See the full puzzle for that day's other words.
Answer
VIRULENT
VIRU****VIRUmeans “poison”
In a sentence
The zookeeper explained to visitors that a coral snake bite contains a VIRULENT poison.
About this clue
The Rootonym clue “Actively poisonous; deadly; highly infective or malignant (adjective)” has the answer VIRULENT (8 letters), built on the root VIRU, which means “poison”. Browse the full June 14, 2026 Rootonym puzzle for the other three words, or see all Rootonym answers.