noxious
Americanadjective
-
harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being.
noxious fumes.
- Synonyms:
- deleterious, detrimental, nocuous, unhealthy, unwholesome, hurtful
- Antonyms:
- harmless
-
morally harmful; corrupting; pernicious.
a noxious plan to spread dissension.
- Synonyms:
- corruptive
- Antonyms:
- harmless
adjective
-
poisonous or harmful
-
harmful to the mind or morals; corrupting
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of noxious
1605–15; < Latin noxius harmful, hurtful, injurious, equivalent to nox ( a ) harm, hurt, injury (akin to nocēre to do harm, inflict injury; see innocent) + -ius -ious
Explanation
Something noxious is harmful and could be even fatal — whether it is colorless, odorless, and invisible like carbon monoxide, or dark, strong-smelling, and obvious, like black smoke from a fire. People are called noxious too when they hurt others with cruelty or mental anguish. English and Latin roots for noxious are related to the meanings of "harm," "damage," and "injury." While obnoxious might come to mind when seeing the word noxious, obnoxious is a much less damaging adjective to describe someone annoying. Most uses for noxious involve real physical or emotional damage unless the word is used in exaggeration. Examples range from "the noxious gas fumes made the dog pass out" to "his cologne was so noxious I had to exit the elevator and take the stairs."
Vocabulary lists containing noxious
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Fever 1793
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Hunger Games
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Noxious to livestock and native plants, the plant was introduced in the United States in 1822 and is found widely here.
From Science Daily • Mar. 6, 2024
Noxious fumes filled the room as white globs of melted plastic dripped down onto the wood, catching it on fire.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2022
Noxious characters need not produce noxious films, but the meanspirited humor of “Summer ‘03” is out of place with the perky conventionality of the film’s style.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2018
“Maniacal Noxious Orange: trending color in spray-on tans,” by 155-time Loser Bird Waring, was certainly fanciful, but a tad alphabetically challenged.
From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2016
Noxious clouds expanded around the giant, filling the ruins like thick cigar smoke.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
