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
Modified taurine is nontoxic but creates a slightly cloudy appearance.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026
The luminous, pink color spreading across the Santa Monica Bay is from a temporary, nontoxic dye that researchers are using to study how ocean circulation might contribute to the bay’s poor water quality.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 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
I had no hair to wash, because the shower also dispensed a nontoxic hair-removing solution that I rubbed all over my face and body.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
