nontoxic
Britishadjective
Explanation
Nontoxic things aren't poisonous. It's generally safe to eat or breathe nontoxic substances, and they don't harm the environment. It's a good thing if the ingredients in your dish soap are nontoxic — it means the suds washing down the drain won't be harmful to the environment, and the residue left on your dishes won't hurt you, either. You can use the adjective nontoxic to distinguish something from its more dangerous, toxic variation. Toxic waste poisons the groundwater or makes nearby animals sick, but nontoxic waste tends to break down without any negative consequences.
Vocabulary lists containing nontoxic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
First, if I want to buy new, nontoxic, sustainably made living-room furniture, I need to have a clear idea of what I want.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026
Proponents of building with materials derived from sources like clay, straw and hemp say they’re fire-resistant, carbon-friendly and nontoxic when scorched.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2025
Ceramic nonstick cookware: A popular new class of nonstick cookware, these candy-colored ceramic pans — such as the Instagram-famous Always Pan — are often marketed as nontoxic.
From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024
The splintered fluorine atoms, the researchers report, are safely sequestered by reacting them with potassium hydride in solution to form potassium fluoride, a nontoxic ingredient in toothpaste.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
Provide tea and broth and nontoxic medicine to help the body fight off the fever.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
