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.
The soft and flexible gel is made with water and a choline based liquid that is antibacterial, nontoxic, and biocompatible.
From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2026
Also in the home is a private gym, a sauna, nontoxic finishes, and a whole-house water filtration system, all tapping into wellness.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 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
The splintered fluorine atoms, the researchers report, are safely sequestered by reacting them with potassium hydride in solution to form potassium fluoride, a nontoxic ingredient in toothpaste.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024
Mr. Landau dips a Q-tip into some blue water that he assures me is nontoxic and swabs my tongue with it.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
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.
