toxic
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison.
a toxic condition.
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acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous.
a toxic drug.
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causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious: toxic criticism.
a toxic boyfriend who wanted complete control over her;
toxic criticism.
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Finance.
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pertaining to or noting debt that will probably not be repaid.
toxic mortgages.
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pertaining to or noting a financial instrument or other asset that has no value or an unknown value because there is no market for it.
toxic mortgage-backed securities.
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noun
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toxics
plural
adjective
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of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or poison; poisonous
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harmful or deadly
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(of a financial asset) likely to cause significant loss to the holder
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Relating to or caused by a toxin.
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Capable of causing injury or death, especially by chemical means; poisonous.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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hypertoxicadjective
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nontoxicadjective
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posttoxicadjective
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untoxicadjective
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nontoxicallyadverb
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toxicallyadverb
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untoxicallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of toxic
First recorded in 1655–65; from Late Latin toxicus “poisonous,” derivative of toxicum “poison,” from Greek toxikón (for toxikòn phármakon literally, “bow poison,” i.e., poison used on arrows), equivalent to tóx(on) “bow” + -ikon, neuter of -ikos adjective suffix; see -ic
Explanation
Danger! Hazardous! Do not eat! These are just some of the warnings you'll see on toxic substances — meaning stuff that's poisonous and even deadly. Cobra bites, wild mystery mushrooms and strong chemicals are all toxic. So are certain people, if they have particularly mean personalities. Toxic is related to the word toxin, which is a kind of poison. It comes from the ancient Greek word toxikon, which means "poison for arrows." Some toxic arrows could come in handy for those toxic personalities...
Vocabulary lists containing toxic
Holes
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"Handle with Care"
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The Cardboard Kingdom
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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.
See Examples For:
Fires in Indonesia that have sent toxic smoke and disrupted daily life across Southeast Asia have triggered the highest-level alert by the regional bloc's meteorological monitor.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Four people died on Indonesia's Java island fighting the blazes that have been sending toxic smoke across southeast Asia, closing schools and fuelling a surge of respiratory complaints in the region, authorities said Friday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
In almost every case, it was made out of self preservation and as a last resort—after enduring years of toxic behavior that will never change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
In November 2020, Indian government investigators found hidden bore holes where the operator of the United Marine Products fishmeal plant in Goa had been covertly disposing of toxic waste, thereby contaminating groundwater.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The walls are white, the floors squeak, and everything smells like a mix of toxic cleaning products and sickness.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
The state toxics department did not respond to several requests for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
"Both in Spokane and New York City, regardless of the setting -- how large or small the cities are -- these air toxics appear to be influencing asthma among children," she said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024
Researchers believe firstborn calves are getting a higher dose of the toxics than later calves.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 29, 2024
Lawn equipment also contributed to a litany of other air toxics, such as formaldehyde and benzene, according to the report, which is titled “Lawn Care Goes Electric.”
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2023
We expanded every community's right to know about toxics that threaten their children.
From State of the Union Address by William Jefferson Clinton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
