toxic

[tok-sik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR toxic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, pertaining to, affected with, or caused by a toxin or poison: a toxic condition.

acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous: a toxic drug.

causing unpleasant feelings; harmful or malicious: a toxic boyfriend; toxic criticism.

pertaining to or noting debt that will probably not be repaid: toxic mortgages.

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.

noun

a toxic chemical or other substance.

Origin of toxic

1655–65; < Late Latin toxicus poisonous, adj. derivative of Latin toxicum poison < Greek toxikón (orig. short for toxikòn phármakon literally, bow poison, i.e., poison used on arrows), equivalent to tóx(on) bow + -ikon, neuter of -ikos -ic

Related formstox·i·cal·ly, adverbhy·per·tox·ic, adjectivenon·tox·ic, adjectivenon·tox·i·cal·ly, adverbpost·tox·ic, adjectiveun·tox·ic, adjectiveun·tox·i·cal·ly, adverb

Can be confusedtoxic toxin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for toxic

noxious, deadly, pernicious, harmful, virulent, lethal, baneful, mephitic, poison, venomous, pestilential, toxicant, septic

Examples from the Web for toxic

Contemporary Examples of toxic

But it is not actually as toxic as it seems (although, admittedly, it does seem pretty toxic).
New York’s Conservative Fracking Ban
Jay Michaelson
December 20, 2014
Infernal, it can cause fires and explosions; toxic, it can debilitate, poison, and kill.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.
Geoff Manaugh
December 6, 2014
These days they are occasional meteorological irruptions, white river mists, not dense and toxic industrial pea-soupers.
Sherlock Holmes Vs. Jack the Ripper
Clive Irving
November 16, 2014
He feared the laser-etched markings intended to make them look authentic could be toxic to patients.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’
The Center for Investigative Reporting
November 3, 2014
They are fair arguments, I guess, but not when you put it up against accusations of toxic drinking water causing weird cancers.
Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero
Darren Aronofsky
September 19, 2014

Historical Examples of toxic

In hollows, or places where the air is stagnant, it may still be toxic.
When the Sleepers Woke
Arthur Leo Zagat
The drug was a deadly one, he said, and the toxic dose was still to be determined.
Hilda Wade
Grant Allen
Little is known of its toxic action, but a weak toxin has been got from cultures.
The Flea
Harold Russell
In dog 28 the first dose of caffein 50 mg per kilo was toxic.
The Toxicity of Caffein
William Salant
This drug is one-seventh as toxic as cocaine but is also weaker in action.
Surgery, with Special Reference to Podiatry
Maximilian Stern

British Dictionary definitions for toxic

toxic

adjective

of, relating to, or caused by a toxin or poison; poisonous

harmful or deadly

(of a financial asset) likely to cause significant loss to the holder

Derived Formstoxically, adverb

Word Origin for toxic

C17: from medical Latin toxicus, from Latin toxicum poison, from Greek toxikon (pharmakon) (poison) used on arrows, from toxon arrow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for toxic

adj.

1660s, from French toxique, from Late Latin toxicus "poisoned," from Latin toxicum "poison," from Greek toxikon (pharmakon) "(poison) for use on arrows," from toxikon, neuter of toxikos "pertaining to arrows or archery," and thus to a bow, from toxon "bow," probably from a Scythian word that also was borrowed into Latin as taxus "yew."

toxic in Medicine