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
It's considered carcinogenic to humans and has been banned in England and Wales.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
A 1979 report from the World Health Organisation found that chlordecone was "carcinogenic in mice and rats" and it was reasonable to regard it as a "carcinogenic risk to humans".
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
When hypergolic propellants burn, they release highly carcinogenic toxins and can cause suffocation and mutate a person’s DNA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 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.
