Definition

1. Verb (Intransitive/Passive):

   • To be intoxicated: To have a harmful substance (a toxin or poison) enter and affect the body, often causing illness or impaired function.
   • To be poisoned: To suffer from the effects of a poison entering the body, either accidentally, deliberately, or environmentally.

2. Verb (Transitive):

   • To poison / To intoxicate: (Less common as an active verb) To cause someone or something to become poisoned. Often used in medical or technical contexts.

Usage Examples

• Verb (Intransitive/Passive):

  • Bệnh nhân nhập viện vì nghi ngờ nhiễm độc thực phẩm. (The patient was hospitalized on suspicion of being poisoned by food.)
  • Công nhân có nguy cơ nhiễm độc chì từ môi trường làm việc. (Workers are at risk of lead poisoning from their work environment.)
  • Anh ấy đã nhiễm độc sau khi uống nhầm hóa chất. (He was intoxicated after accidentally drinking a chemical.)

• Verb (Transitive):

  • Vi khuẩn nhiễm độc vào nguồn nước. (The bacteria poisoned the water source.)

Advanced Usage

• "nhiễm độc máu": blood poisoning; sepsis.

  • Vết thương không được xử lý có thể dẫn đến nhiễm độc máu. (An untreated wound can lead to blood poisoning.)

• "nhiễm độc thần kinh": neurotoxicity; poisoning affecting the nervous system.

  • Tiếp xúc lâu dài với hóa chất đó gây nhiễm độc thần kinh. (Long-term exposure to that chemical causes neurotoxicity.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngộ độc (v/n): Often used interchangeably with "nhiễm độc" for acute poisoning, especially from food or drink. It strongly implies an incident of poisoning.

  • Một vụ ngộ độc tập thể tại nhà hàng. (A mass food poisoning incident at a restaurant.)

• Nhiễm trùng (v): To be infected (by bacteria, viruses). Contrasts with "nhiễm độc" (by toxins/chemicals).

  • Vết cắt nhỏ có thể nhiễm trùng nếu không sạch sẽ. (A small cut can become infected if not kept clean.)

Synonyms

• Be poisoned: The most direct synonym.
• Be intoxicated: Often used in medical contexts.
• Suffer from toxicity: A more formal or clinical term.

Related Idioms

• Nhiễm độc tư tưởng / văn hóa: To be culturally or ideologically "poisoned"; to be negatively influenced by harmful ideas or cultural elements.
  • Một số người lo ngại giới trẻ bị nhiễm độc văn hóa từ internet. (Some worry that young people are being culturally poisoned by the internet.)

1. Be intoxicated, be affected by toxicosis