carcinogenic
CulturalExplanation
Something is carcinogenic if it has the potential to cause cancer. Asbestos, a material that was frequently used for insulation, was found to be carcinogenic, leading to laws regulating its use. To correctly pronounce carcinogenic, accent the fourth syllable: "car-sih-nuh-JEN-ick." Carcinogenic is related to the noun carcinogen, meaning "a cancer-causing substance." Both words come from carcinoma, or "malignant tumor" and -gen, a suffix that means "something produced." So something that is carcinogenic produces malignant tumors — cancer.
Vocabulary lists containing carcinogenic
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
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"In praise and defense of grandiose, flowery, sesquipedalian words"
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Vocabulary from Readings 2, Unit 3
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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.
Specifically, that 2001 testing showed the carcinogenic solvent and dry-cleaning chemical perchloroethylene, or PCE, in the soil at levels as high as 6,658 micrograms per liter, said Alysa Pakkidis, information officer for the agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
But the concentration of the carcinogenic element can increase through deposits, including phosphate fertilisers used to grow crops that then end up on people's plates.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Kevin Wagner, vice president of the medical sterilizer company Sterigenics, messaged asking that nine facilities emitting the carcinogenic gas ethylene oxide, including near Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Atlanta, be exempted.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
Bayer, the German bio-tech company that now owns Monsanto, has previously said there is no regulatory authority that has found that glyphosate is carcinogenic.
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
The scientific facts released by the Food and Drug Administration clearly indicate the carcinogenic nature of aminotriazole in laboratory rats.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
